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DISCOVERY 


SOURCES  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI  RIVER. 


SOURCES 

of  the 

Drtiivii  to  IHusttatc 

S elio 0 Ic raits  Dis c oA^erie s . 

Bv(-'apt'  S  Ka_stmaii  U  S.A. 


J'JJiayit'.AOi  LM;,TiUf 


SUMMARY  NAEllATIVE 


EXrLORATOHY  EXPEDITION 


SOURCES  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI  RIVER, 

IN   1830: 

RESUMED  AND  COMPLETED, 

BY  THE 

DISCOVERY  OF  ITS  ORIGIN  IN  ITASCA  LAKE,  IN  1832. 

Cn  ^utl)oritB  of  tl)g  Uniteb  States. 

WITH  APPENDICES, 

COMPRISING  THE 

ORIGINAL  REPORT   ON    THE  COPPER   MINES  OF   LAKE    SUPERIOR,  AND  OBSERVATIONS 
ON  THE  GEOLOGY  OF  THE  LAKE  BASINS,  AND  THE  SUMMIT  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI; 

TOGETHER  -VVITII 

ALL  THE  OFFICIAL  REPORTS  AND  SCIENTIFIC  PAPERS  OF  BOTH  EXPEDITIONS. 

By  henry  R.  SCHOOLCRAFT. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
LIPPINCOTT,  GRAMBO,  AND   CO 

1855. 


^^. 


'< 


,&^ 


Entered  according  to  the  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1854,  by 

LIPPINCOTT,    GRAMBO,  AND  CO., 

in  the  Office  of  the  Clerk  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States,  in  and  for 
the  Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania, 


[Original  Dedication.] 


TO  THE 


Hon.   JOHN     C.    CALHOUN, 

SECRETARY   OF   WAR. 

Sir  :  Allow  mc  to  inscribe  to  yoii  the  following  Jour- 
nals, as  an  illustration  of  my  several  reports  on  the  mineral 
j^eography  of  the  regions  visited  by  the  recent  Expedition 
under  Governor  Cass. 

I  beg  you  will  consider  it,  not  only  as  a  proof  of  my 
anxiety  to  be  serviceable  in  the  station  occupied,  but  also 
as  a  tribute  of  individual  respect  for  those  exertions  which 
liave  been  made,  during  your  administration  of  the  War 
Department,  to  develop  the  physical  character  and  re- 
sources of  all  parts  of  our  Western  country;  for  the 
patronage  it  has  extended  to  the  cause'  of  geographical 
science ;  for  the  protection  it  has  afforded  to  a  ver' 
extensive  line  of  frontier  settlements  by  stretchino-  -^y^s 
cordon  of  military  posts  around  them ;  and  for  the  ndng  all 

it  has  bestowed  on  one  of  the  humblest  cultivate 

original 
natural  science.  ^^^^^^^i^^. 

HEXRY  R.  SCHOOLCR.perfectly 
Albany,  1821.  -r  in  iso- 

the  link 

,s  passed 

Events 

of  our 


PREFACE. 


The  following  pages  embrace  the  substance  of  the  narratives 
of  two  distinct  expeditions  for  the  discovery  of  the  sources  of  the 
Mississippi  River,  under  the  authority  of  the  United  States.  By 
connecting  the  incidents  of  discovery,  and  of  the  facts  brought 
to  light  during  a  period  of  twelve  years,  unity  is  preserved  in 
the  prosecution  of  an  object  of  considerable  importance  in  the 
progress  of  our  geography  and  natural  history,  at  least,  from  the 
new  impulse  which  they  received  after  the  treaty  of  Ghent. 

Geographers  deem  that  branch  of  a  river  as  its  true  source 
which  originates  at  the  remotest  distance  from  its  mouth,  and, 
agreeably  to  this  definition,  the  combined  narratives,  to  which 
attention  is  now  called,  show  this  celebrated  stream  to  arise  in 
Itasca  Lake,  the  source  of  the  Itasca  Eiver, 

Owing  to  the  time  which  has  intervened  since  these  expeditions 
were  undertaken,  a  mere  revision  of  the  prior  narrations,  in  the 
journal  form^  was  deemed  inexpedient.  A  concise  summary  has, 
therefore,  been  made,  preserving  whatever  information  it  was 
thought  important  to  be  known  or  remembered,  and  omitting  all 
matters  not  partaking  of  permanent  interest. 

To  this  summary,  something  has  been  added  from  the  original 
manuscript  journals  in  his  possession.  The  domestic  organiza- 
tion and  social  habits  of  the  parties  may  thus  bo  more  perfectly 
understood.  The  sympathies  which  bind  men  together  in  iso- 
lated or  trying  scenes  are  sources  of  interest  long  after  the  link 
is  severed,  and  the  progress  of  science  or  discovery  lias  passed 
beyond  the  particular  points  at  which  they  then  stood.  Events 
pass  with  so  much  rapidity  at  present,  in  the  difiusion  of  our 


Vlll  '  PREFACE. 

population  over  regions  where,  but  lately,  tlie  Indian  was  the 
only  tenant,  that  we  are  in  danger  of  having  but  a  confused  re- 
cord of  them,  if  not  of  losing  it  altogether.  It  is  some  abatement 
of  this  fear  to  know  that  there  is  always  a  portion  of  the  com- 
munity who  take  a  pleasure  in  remembering  individuals;  who 
have  either  ventured  their  lives,  or  exerted  their  energies,  to  pro- 
mote knowledge  or  advance  discovery.  It  is  in  this  manner  that, 
however  intent  an  age  may  be  in  the  plans  which  engross  it,  the 
sober  progress  and  attainments  of  the  period  are  counted  up.  An 
important  fact  discovered  in  the  physical  geography  or  natural 
history  of  the  country,  if  it  be  placed  on  record,  remains  a  fact 
added  to  the  permanent  stores  of  information.  A  new  plant,  a 
crystal,  an  insect,  or  the  humblest  invertebrate  object  of  the  zoo- 
logical chain,  is  as  incontestable  an  addition  to  scientific  know- 
ledge, as  the  finding  of  remains  to  establish  a  new  species  of 
mastodon.     They  only  differ  in  interest  and  importance. 

It  is  not  the  province  of  every  age  to  produce  a  Linnaeus,  a 
Buftbn,  or  a  Cuvier;  but,  such  are  the  almost  endless  forms  of 
vegetable  and  animal  life  and  organization — from  the  infusoria 
upward — that  not  a  year  elapses  which  may  not  enlarge  the 
boundaries  of  science.  The  record  of  discovery  is  perpetually 
accumulating,  and  filling  the  list  of  discoverers  with  humbler,  yet 
worthy  names.  Whoever  reads  with  care  the  scientific  desiderata 
here  olfered  will  find  matter  of  description  or  comment  which  has 
employed  the  pens  of  a  Torrey,  a  Mitchell,  a  Cooper,  a  Lea,  a 
Barnes,  a  Houghton,  and  a  Nicollet. 

It  is  from  considerations  of  this  nature,  that  the  author  has 
appended  to  this  narrative  the  original  observations,  reports,  and 
descriptions  made  by  his  companions  or  himself,  while  engaged  in 
these  exploratory  journeys,  together  with  the  determinations  made 
on  such  scientific  objects  as  were  referred  to  other  competent 
hands.  These  investigations  of  the  physical  geography  of  the 
West,  and  the  phenomena  or  resources  of  the  country,  constitute, 
indeed,  by  far  the  most  important  permanent  acquisitions  of  the 
scrutiny  devoted  to  them.  They  form  the  elements  of  classes  of 
facts  which  will  retain  their  value,  to  men  of  research,  when  the 
incidents  of  the  explorations  are  forgotten,  and  its  actors  them- 
selves have  passed  to  their  final  account. 

It  would  have  been  desirable  that  what  has  here  been  done 


PREFACE.  IX 

should  have  been  done  at  an  earlier  period ;  but  it  may  be  suffi- 
cient to  say  that  other  objects  engrossed  the  attention  of  the  author 
for  no  small  part  of  the  intervening  period,  and  that  he  could  not 
earlier  control  the  circumstances  which  the  publication  demanded. 
After  his  permanent  return  from  the  West — where  so  many  years 
of  his  life  passed — it  was  his  first  wish  to  accomplish  a  long-cher- 
ished desire  of  visiting  England  and  the  Continent,  in  which 
America,  and  its  manners  and  institutions,  might  be  contemplated 
at  a  distance,  and  compared  by  ocular  proofs.  And,  when  he  de- 
termined on  the  task  of  preparing  this  volume,  and  began  to  look 
around  for  the  companions  of  his  travels,  to  avail  himself  of  their 
notes,  he  found  most  of  them  had  descended  to  the  tomb.  For  the 
narrative  parts,  indeed,  the  manuscript  journals,  kept  with  great 
fulness,  were  still  preserved ;  but  the  materials  for  the  other  division 
of  the  work  were  widely  scattered.  Some  of  them  remained  in  the 
archives  of  the  public  offices  to  which  they  were  originally  com- 
municated. Other  papers  had  been  given  to  the  pages  of  scientific 
journals,  and  their  reprint  was  inexpedient.  The  rich  body  of 
topographical  data,  and  the  elaborately  drawn  map  of  this  portion 
of  the  United  States,  prepared  by  Captain  Douglass,  U.  S,  A., 
Avhicb  would  have  been  received  with  avidity  at  the  time,  had 
been  in  a  great  measure  superseded  by  subsequent  discoveries,''^ 
The  only  part  of  this  officer's  observations  employed  in  this  work, 
are  his  determinations  of  the  geographical  positions.  The  latter 
have  been  extended  and  perfected  by  the  subsequent  observations 
of  Mr.  Nicollet.  At  every  point,  there  have  been  difficulties  to 
overcome.  He  has  been  strenuous  to  award  justice  to  his  deceased 
companions,  to  whose  memory  he  is  attached  by  the  ties  of  sym- 
pathy and  former  association.  If  more  time  has  elapsed  in  pre- 
paring the  work  than  was  anticipated,  it  is  owing  to  the  nature 
of  it ;  and  he  can  only  say  that  still  more  time  and  attention  would 
be  required  to  do  justice  to  it. 

*  This  remark  is  limited  to  the  country  south  of  about  46°.  North  of  that  point, 
there  are  no  explorations  known  to  me,  except  those  of  Lieutenant  James  Allen, 
who  accompanied  me  above  Cass  Lake,  in  1832,  and  those  of  J.  N.  Nicollet,  in  1836, 
which  were  reported  by  him  to  the  Topographical  Bureau,  and  by  the  latter  trans- 
mitted to  Congress. — Vide  Senate  Doc.  No.  237,  1843.  These  observations  relate  to 
the  line  of  the  Mississippi.  Maj.  Long's  journey,  in  1823,  was  icesi  and  north  of 
that  river. 


X  PEEFACE. 

A  word  may  be  added  respecting  the  period  of  these  explora- 
tions. The  year  1820  marked  a  time  of  much  activity  in  geogra- 
phical discovery  in  the  United  States,  The  treaty  of  Ghent,  a 
few  years  before,  had  relieved  the  frontiers  from  a  most  sanguinary 
Indian  war.  This  event  enlarged  the  region  for  settlement,  and 
created  an  intense  desire  for  information  respecting  the  new 
countries.  Government  had,  indeed,  at  an  earlier  period,  shown 
a  disposition  to  aid  and  encourage  discoveries.  The  feeling  on 
this  subject  cannot  be  well  understood,  without  allusion  to  the 
name  of  John  Ledyard.  This  intrepid  traveller  had  accompanied 
Captain  Cook  on  his  last  voyage  round  the  world.  In  1786,  he 
presented  himself  to  Mr.  Jefferson,  the  American  minister  at  Paris, 
with  a  plan  of  extensive  explorations.  He  proposed  to  set  out 
from  St.  Petersburg,  and,  passing  through  Russia  and  Tartary  to 
Behring's  Straits,  to  traverse  the  north  Pacific  to  Oregon,  and 
thence  cross  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Missouri  Valley.*  Mr. 
Jefferson  communicated  the  matter  to  the  Russian  plenipotentiary 
at  Paris — and  to  the  Baron  Grimm,  the  confidential  agent  of  the 
Empress  Catherine — through  whose  influence  he  received  the  re- 
quired passports.  He  proceeded  on  this  adventure,  and  had  reached 
within  two  hundred  miles  of  Kamschatka,  where  he  was  arrested, 
and  taken  back,  in  a  close  carriage,  to  Moscow,  and  thence  con- 
ducted to  the  frontiers  of  Poland.  On  reaching  London,  the 
African  Association  selected  him  to  make  explorations  in  the 
direction  of  the  Niger.  Reaching  Egypt,  he  proceeded  up  the 
Nile  to  Cairo,  where,  having  completed  his  preparations  for  en- 
tering the  interior  of  Africa,  he  sickened  and  died,  in  the  month  of 
November,  1788. — Life  of  Ledyard^  Sparks's  Amer.  Biog.  vol.  xvi. 

The  suggestion  of  Ledyard  to  explore  Oregon  became  the  germ 
of  the  voyages  of  Lewis  and  Clark.  It  appears  that,  in  1792,  Mr. 
Jefferson  proposed  the  subject  to  the  American  Philosophical 
Society  at  Philadelphia. -"  It  is  not  known  that  its  action  resulted 
in  anything  practical.  After  Mr.  Jefferson  himself,  however,  came 
to  the  presidency,  in  1801,  he  called  the  attention  of  Congress  to 
the  matter.  Louisiana  had  been  acquired,  under  his  auspices,  in 
1803,  which  furnished  a  strong  public  reason  for  its  exploration. 
To  conduct  it,  he  selected  his  private  secretary  and  relative,  Mer- 

*  Lewis  and  Clark. 


PREFACE.  XI 

riweather  Lewis,  of  Virginia;  Captain  William  Clark  v/as  named 
as  his  assistant.  Both  these  gentlemen  were  commissioned  in  the 
army,  and  the  expense  thus  placed  on  a  public  basis.  Captain 
Lewis  left  the  city  of  Washington,  on  this  enterprise,  on  the  5tli 
of  July,  1803,  and  was  joined  by  Captain  Clark  west  of  the  Alle- 
ghanies.  Having  organized  the  expedition  at  St.  Louis,  they 
began  the  ascent  of  the  Missouri  Eiver  on  the  14th  of  May,  1804. 
They  wintered  the  first  year  at  Fort  Mandan,  about  1,800  miles 
up  the  Missouri,  in  the  country  of  the  Mandans.  Crossing  the 
Eocky  Mountains  the  next  year,  and  descending  the  Columbia  to 
the  open  shore  of  the  Pacific,  the}''  retraced  their  general  course  to 
the  waters  of  the  Missouri,  in  1806,  and  returned  to  St.  Louis  on  the 
23d  of  September  of  that  year,  (Lewis  and  Clark,  vol.  ii.  p.  433.) 
To  explore  the  Missouri  to  its  source,  and  leave  the  remote 
summits  of  the  Mississippi  untouched,  would  seem  to  have  ill- 
accorded  with  Mr.  Jefferson's 'conceptions.  It  does  not  appear, 
however,  from  published  data,  that  he  selected  the  person  to 
perform  the  latter  service,  leaving  it  to  the  military  commandant 
of  the  district.  [Life  of  Pike,  Sparks's  Amei:  Biog.  vol.  xv. 
pp.  220,  281.)  General  Wilkinson,  who  had  been  directed  to 
occupy  Louisiana,  appears  to  have  made  the  selection.  He  desig- 
nated Lieutenant  Zebulon  Montgomery  Pike.  This  officer  left 
Bellefontaine,  Missouri,  on  the  9th  of  August,  1805,  with  a  total 
force  of  twenty  men,  at  least  four  months  too  late  in  the  season 
to  reach  even  the  central  part  of  his  destination,  without  an  aid 
in  the  command,  without  a  scientifi.c  observer  of  any  description, 
and  without  even  an  interpreter  to  communicate  with  the  Indians. 
That  he  should  have  accomplished  what  he  did,  is  altogether 
owing  to  his  activity,  vigilance,  and  enterprise,  his  knowledge  of 
hunting  and  forest  life,  and  his  well-established  habits  of  mental  and 
military  discipline.  Winter  overtook  him,  on  the  16th  of  October, 
in  his  ascent,  when  he  was  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles 
(as  now  ascertained)  above  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony.*  Severe 
cold,  snow,  and  ice,  rendered  it  impossible  to  push  his  boats  fur- 
ther. Devoting  twelve  days  in  erecting  a  blockhouse,  and  leav^- 
ing  his  heavy  stores  and  disabled  men  in  charge  of  a  non  com- 
missioned officer,  he  proceeded  onwards,   on  snow  shoes,  with 

*  Estimated  by  him  at  233  miles. 


XU  PREFACE. 

small  hand-sledges,  and,  by  great  energy  and  perseverance, 
reached,  at  successive  periods,  Sandy  Lake,  Leach  Lake,  and 
Upper  Ked  Cedar  Lake,  on  the  third  great  plateau  at  the  sources 
of  the  Mississippi.  On  the  opening  of  the  river,  he  began  his 
descent,  and  returned  to  his  starting-point,  at  Bellefontaine,  on  the 
30th  of  April,  1806,  having  been  absent  a  little  less  than  nine 
months.  On  his  visiting  the  country  above  the  point  where  the 
climate  arrested  his  advance,  the  whole  region  was  found  to  be 
clothed  in  a  mantle  of  snow.  On  his  journe}^,  the  deer,  elk, 
buffalo,  and  wolf,  were  found  on  the  prairies — the  waters  were 
inhabited  by  wild  fowl ;  as  he  acted  the  part  of  hunter,  and,  to 
some  extent,  guide,  these  furnished  abundant  employ  for  his  effi- 
cient sportsman-like  propensities.  Of  its  distinctive  zoology, 
minerals,  plants,  and  other  physical  desiderata,  it  was  not  in  his 
power,  had  he  been  ever  so  well  prepared,  to  make  observations. 
Even  for  the  topography,  above  the  latitude  of  about  40°,  he  was 
dependent,  essentially,  on  the  information  furnished  by  the  factors 
of  the  Northwest  British  Fur  Company,  who,  at  that  period^  occu- 
pied the  country.*  This  information  was  readily  given,  and  en- 
abled him,  with  general  accuracy,  to  present  the  maps  and  descrip- 
tions which  accompany  his  account  of  the  region.  He  was, 
however,  misled  in  placing  the  source  of  the  river  in  Turtle 
Lake,  and  in  the  topography  of  the  region  south  and  west  of  that 
point. 

Pike's  account  of  his  expedition  did  not  issue  from  the  press 
till  1810.  The  narrative  of  the  expedition  of  Lewis  and  Clark 
was  still  longer  delayed — owing  to  the  melancholy  death  of 
Lewis — and  was  not  given  till  181-1;  a  period  of  political  com- 
motion by  no  means  favorable  to  literary  matters.  It  was,  how- 
ever, at  once  hailed  as  a  valuable  and  standard  accession  to 

*  The  surrender  of  the  lake  country  by  Great  Britian,  in  1796,  at  the  close  of 
■what  is  known  as  General  Wayne's  war,  extended  to  Michilimackiuac,  the  remotest 
British  garrison.  The  region  northwest  of  this  post  -was  occupied  by  numerous 
tribes  of  Indians,  who  continued  to  be  supplied  with  goods  by  British  traders  till 
after  the  close  of  the  war  of  1812.  In  1816,  Congress  passed  an  act  confining  the 
trade  to  American  citizens.  Under  this  state  of  affairs,  the  Northwest  Company  of 
Montreal  sold  out  their  trading-posts  and  fixtures,  northwest  of  Michiliniackinac, 
to  Mr.  John  Jacob  Astor,  of  New  York,  who,  from  an  account  of  one  of  his  active 
factors,  invested  about  $300,000  per  annum  in  merchandise  adapted  to  the  Indian 
habits. 


PREFACE.  Xlll 

geographical  science.     Public  opinion  had  for  years  been  called 
to  this  daring  enterprise. 

Such  was  the  state  of  geographical  discovery  in  the  United 
States  in  1816.  The  war  with  Great  Britain  had  had  an  exhaust- 
ing eftect  upon  the  resources  and  fiscal  condition  of  the  country. 
But,  owing  to  the  information  gained  by  the  operation  of  armies 
in  the  ample  area  west  of  the  Alleghanies,  it  opened  a  new  world 
for  enterprise  in  that  quarter.  The  treaty  of  1814  with  Great 
Britain,  which  afllirmed  the  original  boundaries  of  1783,  by  ter- 
minating, at  the  same  time,  the  war  and  the  fallacious  hopes  of 
sovereignty  set  "up  for  the  Indian  tribes,  truly  opened  the  Missis- 
sippi Valley  to  settlement. 

All  eyes  were  turned  to  the  general  climate  of  the  West,  and 
its  capacities  of  growth  and  expansion.  The  universal  ardor 
which  then  arose  and  was  spread,  of  its  fertility,  extent,  and  re- 
sources, has,  from  that  era,  filled  the  public  mind,  and  fixed  the 
liveliest  hopes  of  the  extension  of  the  Union. 

The  accession  of  Mr.  Monroe  to  the  presidency,  4th  March, 
1817,  formed  the  opening  of  this  new  epoch  of  industrial  empire 
and  progress  in  the  West.  This  period  brought  into  the  adminis- 
tration a  man  of  great  grasp  of  intellect  and  energy  of  character 
in  Mr.  Calhoun.  By  placing  the  army  in  a  series  of  self-sustain- 
ing posts  on  the  frontiers,  in  advance  of  the  settlements,  he  gave 
them  efficient  protection  against  the  still  feverish  tribes,  who 
hovered — feeble  and  dejected  from  the  results  of  the  war,  but  in 
broken,  discordant,  and  hostile  masses — around  the  long  and  still 
dangerous  line  of  the  frontiers,  from  Florida  to  Detroit  and  the 
Falls  of  St,  Anthony.  He  encouraged  every  means  of  acquiring 
true  information  of  its  geography  and  resources.  In  1819,  the 
military  line  was  extended  to  Council  Bluffs,  on  the  Missouri, 
and  to  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  on  the  Mississippi.  Major  S.  H. 
Long,  of  the  Topographical  Engineers,  was  directed  to  ascend  the 
Missouri,  for  the  purpose  of  exploring  the  region  west  to  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  During  the  same  year,  he  approved  a  plan 
for  exploring  the  sources  of  the  Mississippi,  submitted  by  General 
Cass,  who  occupied  the  northwestern  frontiers. 

The  author  having  then  returned  from  the  exploration  of  the 
Ozark  Highlands,  and  the  mine  country  of  Missouri  and  Ark- 


xiv  PREFACE. 

ansas,*  received  from  Mr,  Calboun  the  appointment  of  geologist 
and  mineralogist  on  this  expedition ;  and  having,  at  a  subsequent 
period,  been  selected,  as  the  leader  of  the  expedition  of  1832,  to 
resume  and  complete  the  discoveries  under  the  same  authority, 
commenced  in  1820,  it  is  to  the  journals  and  notes  kept  on  these 
separate  occasions,  that  he  is  indebted  for  the  data  of  the  narra- 
tives and  for  the  body  of  information  now  submitted. 

*  Vide  Scenes  and  Adventures  in  the  Semi- Alpine  Region  of  the  Ozark  Mountains 
of  Missouri  and  Arkansas,  with  a  View  of  the  Lead-Mines  of  Missom-i.  New  York, 
1819.     Philadelphia:  Lippincott,  Grambo,  and  Co.     1  vol.  8vo.  pp.  256.     1853, 

Washington,  D.  C,  October  24,  1854. 


CONTENTS. 


EXPEDITION    OF    1820. 

Introdtjction 17 

Preliminary  Documents 25 

Narrative  of  the  Expedition 37 


CHAPTER  I. 

Departure — Considerations  on  visiting  the  northern  summits  early  in  the  season — 
Cross  the  Highlands  of  the  Hudson — Incidents  of  the  journey  from  Albany  to 
Buffalo — Visit  Niagara  Falls — Their  grandeur  the  effect  of  magnitude — Embark 
on  board  the  steamer  Walk-in-the-Water — Passage  up  Lake  Erie — Reach  Detroit 

39 

CHAPTER  II. 

Preparations  for  the  expedition — Constitution  of  the  party — Mode  of  travel  in  canoes 
— Embarkation,  and  incidents  of  the  journey  across  the  Lake,  and  up  the  River 
St.  Clair — Head  winds  encountered  on  Lake  Huron — Point  aux  Barques — Cross 
Saganaw  Bay — Delays  in  ascending  the  Huron  coast — Its  geology  and  natural 
history — Reach  Michilimackinac        ........       47 

CHAPTER  III. 

Description  of  Michilimackinac  —  Prominent  scenery  —  Geology — Arched  Rock  — 
Sugarloaf  Rock  —  History  —  Statistics  —  Mineralogy — Skull  Cave  —  Manners  — 
Its  fish,  agriculture,  moral  wants — Ingenious  manufactures  of  the  Indians — Fur 
trade — Etymology  of  the  word — Antique  bones  disclosed  in  the  interior  of  the 
island 59 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Proceed  down  the  north  shore  of  Lake  Huron  to  the  entrance  of  the  Straits  of  St. 
Mary's — Character  of  the  shores,  and  incidents — Ascend  the  river  to  Sault  Ste. 
Marie — Hostilities  encountered  there — Intrepidity  of  General  Cass  .  .       72 


XVI  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  Y. 

Embark  at  the  head  of  the  portage  at  St.  Mary's — Entrance  into  Lake  Superior — 

Journey  and  incidents  along  its  coasts — Great  Sand  Dunes  —  Pictured  Rocks  — 

'      Grand  Island — Keweena  peninsula  and  portage — Incidents  thence  to  Ontonagon 

River 83 

CHAPTER  YI. 

Chippeiva  Tillage  at  the  mouth  of  the  Ontonagon — Organize  an  expedition  to  ex- 
plore its  mineralogy  —  Incidents  of  the  trip  —  Rough  nature  of  the  country  — 
'  Reach  the  Copper  Rock — Misadventure — Kill  a  bear — Discoveries  of  copper — 
General  remarks  on  the  mineral  affluence  of  the  basin  of  Lake  Superior     .       94 

CHAPTER  Yir. 

Proceed  along  the  southern  coast  of  Lake  Superior  from  the  Ontonagon,  to  Fond 
du  Lac — Porcupine  range  of  mountains — Streams  that  run  fi-om  it,  at  parallel 
distances,  into  the  lake — La  Pointe — Group  of  the  Federation  Islands — River 
St.  Louis — Physical  geography  of  Lake  Superior 102 

CHAPTER  YIII. 

Proceed  up  the  St.  Louis  River,  and  around  its  falls  and  rapids  to  Sandy  Lake  in 
the  valley  of  the  Upper  Mississippi — Grand  Portage — Portage  aux  Coteaux — A 
main  exploring  party — Cross  the  great  morass  of  Akeek  Scepi  to  Sandy  Lake — 
Indian  mode  of  pictographic  writing — Site  of  an  Indian  jonglery — Post  of  Sandy 
Lake 110 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Eeunion  of  the  expedition  on  the  Savanna  Portage — Elevation  of  this  summit — 
Descent  to  Sandy  Lake — Council  with  the  Chippewa  tribe  —  Who  are  they? — 
Traits  of  their  history,  language,  and  customs  —  Enter  the  Mississippi,  with  the 
main  exploring  party,  and  proceed  in  search  of  its  source — Physical  characteristics 
of  the  stream  at  this  place — Character  of  the  Canadian  voyageur       .         .     118 

CHAPTER  X. 

Proceed  iip  the  Mississippi  River — Its  velocity  and  character — Swan  River — Trout 
River,  and  Mushcoda  or  Prairie  River — Rapids  ascended — Reach,  and  make  a 
portage  around  Pakagama  Falls — Enter  a  vast  lacustrine  region — Its  character 
and  productions,  vegetable  and  animal — Tortuous  channel — Vermilion  and  Deer 
Rivers — Leech  Lake  branch — Lake  Winnipek — Ascent  of  the  river  to  Upper  Red 
Cedar,  or  Cass  Lake — Physical  character  of  the  Mississippi  River      .         .     126 


CONTENTS.  XVll 


,     CHAPTER  XT. 

Physical  traits  of  the  Mississippi — The  elevation  of  its  sources — Its  velocity  and 
mean  desceht — Etymology  of  the  name  Mississippi — Descent  of  the  river  to  Sandy 
Lake,  and  thence  to  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony — Recross  the  great  Bitobi  Sa- 
vanna— Pakagama  formation — Description  of  the  voyage  from  Sandy  Lake  to 
Pine  Pdver — Brief  notices  of  the  natural  history        .....     137 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Description  of  the  descent  from  Pine  River — Pine  tracts — Confluence  of  the  Crow- 
wing  River — Enter  a  sylvan  region — prairies  and  groves,  occupied  by  deer,  elk, 
and  buffalo — Sport  of  buffalo  hunting — Reach  elevations  of  sienitic  and  meta- 
morphic  rocks — Discover  a  pictographic  inscription  of  the  Sioux,  by  which  they 
denote  a  desire  for  peace — Pass  the  Osaukes,  St.  Francis's,  Cornielle,  and  Rum 
Rivers — St.  Anthony's  Falls — Etymology  of  the  name — Geographical  considera- 
tions  145 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Position  of  the  military  post  established  at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Peter's — Beauty, 
sali^brity,  and  fertility  of  the  country — Pictographic  letter — Indian  treaty — The 
appearance  of  the  oifer  of  frankincense  in  the  burning  of  tobacco — Opwagonite — 
native  pigments — Salt ;  native  copper — The  pouched  or  prairie  rat — Minnesota 
squirrel — Etymology  of  the  Indian  name  of  St.  Peter's  River — Antiquities — 
Sketch  of  the  Dacota — Descent  of  the  Mississippi  to  Little  Crow's  village — Feast 
of  green  corn 153 

CHAPTER  XIY. 

Descent  of  the  river  from  the  site  of  Little  Crow's  Village  to  Prairie  du  Chien — In- 
cidents of  the  voyage,  and  notices  of  the  scenery  and  natural  history         .     162 

CHAPTER  XY. 

Mr.  Schoolcraft  makes  a  visit  to  the  lead  mines  of  Dubuque — Incidents  of  the  trip 
— Description  of  the  mines — The  title  of  occupancy,  and  the  mode  of  the  mines 
being  worked  by  the  Fox  tribe  of  Indians — Who  are  the  Foxes  ?         .         .     169 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

The  expedition  proceeds  from  Prairie  du  Chien  up  the  Wisconsin  "Valley — Incidents 
of  the  ascent— Etymology  of  the  name— The  low  state  of  its  waters  favorable  to 
the  observation  of  its  fresh-water  conchology — Cross  the  Wisconsin  summit,  and 

descend  the  Fox  River  to  Winnebago  Lake 178 

1 


xviii  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XYIL 

Descent  of  the  Fox  River  from  Winnebago  Lake  to  Green  Bay — Incidents  — 
Etymology,  couchology,  mineralogy — Falls  of  the  Konomic  and  Kakala — Popula- 
tion and  antiquity  of  the  settlement  of  Green  Bay — Appearances  of  a  tide,  not 
sustained 186 

CHAPTER  XYIII. 

The  expedition  ti-aces  the  west  shores  of  Lake  Michigan  southerly  to  Chicago — 
Outline  of  the  journey  along  this  coast — Sites  of  Manitoowoc,  Sheboigan,  Mil- 
•waukie,  Racine,  and  Chicago,  being  the  present  chief  towns  and  cities  of  Wis- 
consin and  Illinois  on  the  west  shores  of  that  Lake — Final  reorganization  of 
the  party  and  departure  from  Chicago 193 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

South  and  Eastern  borders  of  Lake  Michigan — Their  Flora  and  Fauna — Incidents 
of  the  journey — Topography — Geology,  Botany,  and  Mineralogy — Indian  Tribes 
— Burial-place  of  Marquette — Ruins  of  the  post  of  old  Mackinac — Reach  Michi- 
limackinac  after  a  canoe  journey  north  of  four  hundred  miles    .         .         .     200 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Topographical  survey  of  the  northern  shores  of  Green  Bay  and  of  the  entire  basin  of 
Lake  Michigan — Geological  and  Mineralogical  indicia  of  the  coast  line — Era  of 
sailing  vessels  and  of  the  steamboat  on  the  lakes — Route  along  the  Huron  coast, 
and  return  of  the  expedition  to  Detroit      .......     210 


CONTENTS.  XLjC 

EXPEDITION    OF    1832. 

Discovery  of  the  Source  of  the  Mississippi  River  in  Itasca  Lake  .        .     221 
CHAPTER  XXL 

The  search  for  the  yeritable  source  of  the  Mississippi  is  resumed. — Ascent  to  Cass 
Lake,  the  prior  point  of  discovery — Pursue  the  river  westerly,  through  the  An- 
drusian  Lakes  and  up  the  Metoswa  Rapids,  forty-five  miles — Queen  Anne's  Lake 

223 

CHLiPTER  XXII. 

Ascent  of  the  Mississippi  above  Queen  Anne's  Lake — Reach  the  primary  forks  of 
the  river — Ascend  the  left-hand,  or  minor  branch — Lake  Irving — Lake  Marquette 
— Lake  La  Salle — Lake  Plantagenet — Encamp  at  the  Naiwa  rapids  at  the  base  of 
the  Height  of  Land,  or  Itasca  Summit       .......     231 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

The  Expedition  having  reached  the  source  of  the  east  fork  in  Assawa  Lake,  crosses 
the  highlands  of  the  Hauteurs  de  Terre  to  the  source  of  the  main  or  west  fork  in 
Itasca  Lake 239 

CHAPTER  XXIY. 

Descent  of  the  west,  or  Itascan  branch — Kakabikons  Falls — Junction  of  theChemaun, 
Peniddiwin,  or  De  Soto,  and  Allenoga  Rivers — Return  to  Cass  Lake  .         .     246 

CHAPTER  XXY. 

The  expedition  proceeds  to  strike  the  source  of  the  gTeat  Crow-A?ing  River,  by  the 
Indian  trail  and  line  of  interior  portages,  by  way  of  Leech  Lake,  the  seat  of  the 
warlike  tribe  of  the  Pillagers,  or  Mukundwa      ......     251 

CHAPTER  XXYI. 

Geographical  account  of  Leech  Lake — History  of  its  Indians,  the  Mukundwas — 
The  expedition  proceeds  to  the  source  of  the  Crow-Wing  River,  and  descends 
that  stream,  in  its  whole  length,  to  the  Mississippi     .....     258 

CHAPTER  XXYII. 

Complete  the  exploration  of  the  Crow-Wing  River  of  Minnesota — Indian  council — 
Reach  St.  Anthony's  Falls — Council  with  the  Sioux — Ascent  and  exploration  of 
the  River  St.  Croix  and  Misakoda,  or  Brould,  of  Lake  Superior — Return  of  the 
party  to  St.  Mary's  Falls,  Michigan 265 


XX  CONTENTS. 


APPENDIX   NO.    1. 

Departmental  Reports 279 

General  Cass's  Official  Eeport        .         .         .        ...         .         .         .  280 

"       Memoir  suggesting  further  Explorations  ....  285 

"       Personal  Testimonial      ........  287 

"      Communication  on  Indian  Hieroglyphics,  &c.  .         .         .  430 

"      Queries  respecting  Indian  History,  &c 438 

Indian  History  and  Languages 430 

Topography  and  Asti'onomy  .........  288 

Mineralogy  and  Geology        ..........  292 

Mr.  Schoolcraft's  Report  on  Copper  Mines     .......  292 

"  "on  Geology  and  Mineralogy 303 

"  "        on  the  Value  of  the  Mineral  Lands  on  Lake  Superior  362 

"  Memoir  on  the  Geology  of  AVestern  New  York    .         .         .  381 

"  on  the  Elementary  Sounds  of  the  Chippewa  Language        .  442 

Botany 408 

Zoology • 408 

Meteorology 418 


APPENDIX   NO.    2. 

Indian  Language  ............  453 

Mr.  Schoolcraft's  Essay  on  the  Indian  Substantive 453 

"  "      on  the  Noun-Adjective 489 

'•  "on  the  Principles  of  the  Pronoun      ....  502 

Natural  History 515 

Conchology 515 

Botany 519 

Mineralogy  and  Geology        ..........  526 

Mr.  Schoolcraft's  Remarks  on  the  Occurrence  of  Silver  ....  531 

'*  General  List  of  Mineral  Localities 534 

"                 Geological  Outline  of  Taquimenon  Valley  ....  537 
"                 Suggestions  respecting  the  Epoch  of  the  St.  Mary's  Sand- 
stone   539 


INTRODUCTION. 


Charlevoix  informs  us  tbat  tlie  discovery  of  tlie  Mississippi 
River  is  due  to  father  Marquette,  a  Jesuit  missionary,  who  mani- 
fested the  most  unwearied  enterprise  in  exploring  the  north- 
western regions  of  New  France;  and  after  laying  the  foundation 
of  Michilimackinac,  proceeded,  in  company  with  Sieur  Joliet,  up 
the  Fox  River  of  Green  Bay,  and,  crossing  the  portage  into  the 
Wisconsin,  first  entered  the  Mississippi  m  1673, 

Robert  de  la  Salle,  to  whom  the  merit  of  this  discovery  is  gene- 
rally attributed,  embarked  at  Rochelle,  on  his  first  voyage  of  dis- 
covery, July  14,  1678;  reached  Quebec  in  September  following, 
and,  proceeding  up  the  St.  Lawrence,  laid  the  foundation  of  Fort 
Niagara,  in  the  country  of  the  Iroquois,  late  in  the  fall  of  that 
year.  In  the  following  year,  he  passes  up  tlip  Niagt'^q,  River ; 
estimates  the  height  of  the  falls  at  six  hundre^l.  feet ;  and  pjL '  '".eed- 
ing  through  Lakes  Erie,  St.  Clair,  and  Huron,  reaches  Michi..' 
mackinac  in  August.  He  then  visits  the  Sault  de  St.  Marie,  and 
returning  to  Michilimackinac,  continues  his  voyage  to  the  south, 
with  a  view  of  striking  the  Mississippi  River ;  passes  into  the  lake 
of  the  Illinois ;  touches  at  Green  Bay ;  and  enters  the  River  St. 
Joseph's,  of  Lake  Michigan,  where  he  builds  a  fort,  in  the  country 
of  the  Miamies. 

In  December  of  the  same  year,  he  crosses  the  portage  between 
the  St.  Joseph's  and  the  Illinois ;  descends  the  latter  to  the  lake, 
and  builds  a  fort  in  the  midst  of  the  tribes  of  the  Illinois,  which 
he  calls  Crevecoeur.  Here  he  makes  a  stand ;  sends  persons  out 
to  explore  the  Mississippi,  trafiics  with  the  Indians,  among  all  of 
whom  he  finds  abundance  of  Indian  corn  ;  and  returns  to  Fort 
Frontenac,  on  Lake  Ontario,  in  1680.  He  revisits  Fort  Crevecoeur 
9 


18  INTEODUCTIOX. 

late  in  the  autumn  of  tlie  following  year,  and  finally  descends  the 
Illinois,  to  its  junction  "with  the  Mississippi,  and  thence  to  the 
embouchure  of  the  latter  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  where  he  arrives 
on  the  7th  of  April,  1683,  and  calculates  the  latitude  between  23° 
and  24°  north. 

The  S]3aniards  had  previously  sought  in  vain  for  the  mouth  of 
this  stream,  and  bestowed  upon  it,  in  anticipation,  the  name  of 
Del  Rio  Ascondido,  La  Salle  now  returns  to  Quebec,  by  way  of 
the  Lakes,  and  from  thence  to  France,  where  he  is  well  received 
by  the  king,  who  grants  him  an  outfit  of  four  ships,  and  two 
hundred  men,  to  enable  him  to  continue  his  discoveries,  and  found 
a  colony  in  the  newly  discovered  territories.  He  leaves  Eochelle 
in  July,  1684,  reaches  the  Bay  of  St.  Louis,  which  is  fifty  leagues 
south  of  the  Mississippi,  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  in  February  follow- 
ing, where  he  builds  a  fort,  founds  a  settlement,  and  is  finally 
assassinated  by  one  of  his  own  party.  The  exertions  of  this  en- 
terprising individual,  and  the  account  which  was  published  of  his 
discoveries  by  the  Chevalier  Tonti,  who  had  accompanied  him  in 
all  his  perilous  expeditions,  had  a  greater  effect,  in  the  French 
capital,  in  producing  a  correct  estimate  of  the  extent,  productions, 
and  importance  of  the  Canadas,  than  all  that  had  been  done  by 
preceding  tourists ;  and  this  may  be  considered  as  the  true  era, 
when  the  eyes  of  politicians  and  divines,  merchants  and  specula- 
tors, ■>;' ,^'e'"first  stiongly  turned  towards  the  boundless  forests,  the 
5^-.biime  rivers  and  lakes,  the  populous  Indian  tribes,  and  the  pro- 
fitable commerce  of  New^  France. 

Father  Louis  Hennepin  was  a  missionary  of  the  Francisan  order 
of  Catholics,  who  accompanied  La  Salle  on  his  first  voyage  from 
France ;  and  after  the  building  of  Fort  Crevecoeur,  on  the  Illinois, 
was  dispatched  in  company  with  three  French  voyageurs  to  ex- 
plore the  Mississippi  River. 

They  departed  from  Fort  Crevecceur  on  the  29th  of  February,. 
l'B80,  and  dropping  down  the  Illinois  to  its  junction  with  the 
M3:ssissippi,  followed  the  latter  an  indeterminate  distance  towards 
tfeW^julf,  not  believed  to  be  great,  where  they  left  some  memorial 
of  their  visit,  and  immediately  commenced  their  return.  When 
thJy''  had  proceeded  up  the  Mississippi  a  hundred  and  fifty 
lekc/u6s  above  the  confluence  of  the  Illinois,  they  were  taken 
pri^dhers  by  some  Indian  tribes,  and  carried  towards  its  sources 


IXTRODUCTIOX,  19 

nineteen  days'  journey  into  the  territories  of  the  Naudowessies 
and  Issati,  where  they  were  detained  in  captivity  three  or  four 
months,  and  then  suffered  to  return.  The  account  which  Hen- 
nepin published  of  his  travels  and  discoveries,  served  to  throw 
some  new  light  upon  the  topography,  and  the  Indian  tribes  of  the 
Canadas;  and  modern  geography  is  indebted  to  him  for  the  names 
which  he  bestowed  upon  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony  and  the  Eiver 
St.  Francis. 

In  1703,  the  Baron  La  Hontan,  an  unfrocked  monk,  published 
in  London,  his  voyages  to  North  America,  the  result  of  a  resi- 
dence of  six  years  in  the  Canadas.  La  Flontan  served  as  an 
officer  in  the  French  army,  and  first  went  out  to  Quebec  in  1683. 
During  the  succeeding  four  years  he  was  chiefly  stationed  at 
Chambly,  Fort  Frontenac,  Niagara,  St.  Joseph,  at  the  foot  of 
Lake  Huron,  and  the  Sault  de  St.  Marie. 

He  arrives  at  Michilimackinac  in  1688,  and  there  first  hears  of 
the  assassination  of  La  Salle.  In  1689  he  visits  Green  Bay,  and 
passes  through  the  Fox  and  Wisconsin  Kivers  into  the  Mississippi, 
So  far,  his  work  appears  to  be  the  result  of  actual  observation, 
and  is  entitled  to  respect ;  but  what  he  relates  of  Long  Eiver 
appears  wholly  incredible,  and  can  only  be  regarded  as  some 
flight  of  the  imagination,  intended  to  gratify  the  public  taste  for 
travels,  during  an  age  when  it  had  been  highly  excited  by  the 
extravagant  accounts  which  had  been  published  respecting  the 
wealth,  population,  and  advantages  of  Peru,  Mexico,  the  English 
and  Dutch  colonies.  New  France,  the  Illinois,  and  various  other 
parts  of  the  New  World. 

To  convey  some  idea  of  this  part  of  the  Baron's  work,  it  will 
be  sufficient  to  observe  that  after  travelling  ten  days  above  the 
mouth  of  the  Wisconsin,  he  arrives  at  the  mouth  of  a  large  stream, 
which  he  calls  Long  Eiver,  and  which  he  ascends  eighty -four  days 
successively,  during  which  he  meets  with  numerous  tribes  of 
savages,  as  the  Eskoros,  Essenapes,  Pinnokas,  Mozemleeks,  &c. 
He  is  attended  a  part  of  the  way  by  five  or  six  hundred,  as  an 
escort ;  sees  at  one  time  two  thousand  savages  upon  the  shore ;  and 
states  the  population  of  the  Essenapes  at  20,000  souls ;  but  this  tribe 
is  still  inferior  to  the  Mozemleeks  in  numbers,  in  arts,  and  in  every 
other  prerequisite  for  a  great  people.  "The  Mozemleek  nation," 
he  observes,  "is  numerous  and  puissant.     The  four  slaves  of  that 


20  INTEODUCTION". 

country  informed  me  that,  at  the  distance  of  150  leagues  from 
the  place  where  I  then  was,  their  principal  river  empties  itself  into 
a  salt  lake  of  three  hundred  leagues  in  circumference,  the  mouth 
of  which  is  about  two  leagues  broad ;  that  the  lower  part  of  that 
river  is  adorned  with  six  noble  cities,  surrounded  with  stone, 
cemented  with  fat  earth;  that  the  houses  of  these  cities  have  no 
roofs,  but  are  open  above  like  a  platform ;  that,  besides  the  above- 
mentioned  cities,  there  are  an  hundred  towns,  great  and  small, 
round  that  sort  of  sea;  that  the  people  of  that  country  make 
stuffs,  copper  axes,  and  several  other  manufactures,  &c." 

In  1721,  P.  De  Charlevoix,  the  historian  of  New  France,  was 
commissioned  by  the  French  Government  to  make  a  tour  of  ob- 
servation through  the  Canadas,  and  in  addition  to  his  topographical 
and  historical  account  of  New  France,  published  a  journal  of  his 
vojaige  through  the  Lakes.  He  was  one  of  the  most  learned  divines 
of  his  age,  and  although  strongly  tinctured  with  the  doctrines  of 
fatality,  and  disposed  to  view  everything  relative  to  the  Indian 
tribes  with  the  over-zealous  eye  of  a  Catholic  missionary,  yet  his 
works  bear  the  impress  of  a  strong  and  well-cultivated  mind,  and 
abound  in  philosophical  reflections,  enlarged  views,  and  accurate 
deductions ;  and,  notwithstanding  the  lapse  of  a  century,  he  must 
still  be  regarded  as  the  most  polished  and  illustrious  traveller  of 
the  region.  He  first  landed  at  Quebec  in  the  spring  of  1721,  and 
immediately  proceeded  up  the  St.  Lawrence  to  Fort  Frontenac  and 
Niagara,  where  he  corrects  the  error  into  which  those  who  pre- 
ceded him  had  fallen,  with  respect  to  the  height  of  the  cataract. 
He  proceeds  through  Lakes  Erie,  Huron,  and  Michigan,  descends 
the  Illinois  and  Mississippi  to  New  Orleans,  then  recently  settled, 
and  embarks  for  France.  The  period  of  his  visit  was  that,  when 
the  Mississippi  Scheme  was  in  the  height  of  experiment,  and  excited 
the  liveliest  interest  in  the  French  metropolis  ;  people  were  then 
engaged,  in  Louisiana,  in  exploring  every  part  of  the  country, 
under  the  delusive  hope  of  finding  rich  mines  of  gold  and  silver ; 
and  the  remarks  he  makes  upon  the  probability  of  a  failure,  were 
shortly  justified  by  the  event. 

In  1760,  Alexander  Henry,  Esq.  visited  the  upper  lakes,  in 
the  character  of  a  trader,  and  devoted  sixteen  years  to  travelling 
over  different  parts  of  the  north-western  region  of  the  Canadas 
and  the  United  States.     The  result  of  his  observations  upon  the 


INTRODUCTION.  21 

topography,  Indian  tribes,  and  natural  history  of  the  country, 
was  first  published  in  1809,  and,  as  a  volume  of  travels  and 
adventures,  is  a  valuable  acquisition  to  our  means  of  informa- 
tion. This  work  abounds  in  just  and  sensible  reflections  upon 
scenes,  situations,  and  objects  of  the  most  interesting  kind,  and 
is  written  in  a  style  of  the  most  charming  perspicuity  and  sim- 
plicity.    He  was  the  first  English  traveller  of  the  region. 

The  date  of  Carver's  travels  over  those  regions  is  1766.  Carver, 
whose  travels  have  been  treated  with  too  indiscriminate  censure, 
was  descended  from  an  ancient  and  respectable  English  family  in 
Connecticut,  and  had  served  as  a  captain  in  the  provincial  army, 
which  was  disbanded  after  the  treaty  of  peace  of  Versailles,  of 
1763,  and  united  to  great  personal  courage  a  persevering  and  ob- 
serving mind.  By  his  bravery  and  admirable  conduct  among 
the  powerful  tribes  of  Sioux  and  Chippewas,  he  obtained  a  high 
standing  among  them ;  and,  after  being  constituted  a  chief  by  the 
former,  received  from  them  a  large  grant  of  land,  which  was  not, 
however,  ratified  by  the  British  government.  The  fate  of  this 
enterprising  traveller  cannot  but  excite  regret.  After  having 
escaped  the  massacre  of  Fort  William  Henry,  on  the  banks  of 
Lake  George,  in  1757,  and  the  perils  of  a  long  journey  through 
the  American  wilderness,  he  was  spared  to  endure  miseries  in 
the  heart  of  the  British  metropolis,  which  he  had  never  encoun- 
tered in  the  huts  of  the  American  savages,  and  perished  of  want 
in  the  city  of  London,  the  seat  of  literature  and  opulence ! 

Between  the  years  1769  and  1772,  Samuel  Hearne  performed 
a  journey  from  Prince  of  Wales's  Fort,  in  Hudson's  Bay,  to  the 
Coppermine  River  of  the  Arctic  Ocean.  McKenkie's  voyages  to 
the  Frozen  and  Pacific  Oceans  were  performed  in  1789  and  1793. 
Pike  ascended  the  Mississippi  in  1805  arid  1806. 

Such  is  a  brief  outline  of  the  progress  of  discovery  in  the 
north-western  regions  of  the  United  States,  by  which  our  sources 
of  information  have  been  from  time  to  time  augmented,  and  ad- 
ditional light  cast  upon  the  interesting  history  of  our  Indian 
tribes — their  numbers  and  condition,  and  other  particulars  con- 
nected with  the  regions  they  inhabit.  Still,  it  cannot  be  denied 
that,  amidst  much  sound  and  useful  information,  there  has  been 
mingled  no  inconsiderable  proportion  that  is  deceptive,  hypo- 
thetical, or  false;  and,  upon  the  whole,  that  the  progress  of  infor- 


22  INTRODUCTION. 

mation  lias  not  kept  pace  with  the  increased  importance  which 
that  section  of  the  Union  has  latterly  assumed — with  the  great 
improvements  of  society — and  with  the  spirit  and  the  enterprise 
of  the  times.  A  new  era  has  dawned  in  the  moral  history  of  our 
country,  and,  no  longer  satisfied  with  mere  geographical  outlines 
and  boundaries,  its  physical  productions,  its  antiquities,  and  the 
numerous  other  traits  which  it  presents  for  scientific  research, 
already  attract  the  attention  of  a  great  proportion  of  the  reading 
community ;  and  it  is  eagerly  inquired  of  various  sections  of  it — ■ 
whose  trade,  whose  agriculture,  and  whose  population  have  been 
long  known — what  are  its  indigenous  plants,  its  zoology,  its 
geology,  its  mineralogy,  &c.  Of  no  part  of  it,  however,  has  the 
paucity  of  information  upon  these,  and  upon  other  and  more 
familiar  subjects,  been  so  great,  as  of  the  extreme  north-western 
regions  of  the  Union,  of  the  great  chain  of  lakes,  and  of  the 
sources  of  the  Mississippi  Eiver,  which  have  continued  to  be  the 
subject  of  dispute  between  geographical  writers. 

Impressed  with  the  importance  of  these  facts,  Governor  Cass, 
of  Michigan,  projected,  in  the  fall  of  1819,  an  expedition  for  ex- 
ploring the  regions  in  question,  and  presented  a  memorial  to  the 
Secretary  of  War  upon  the  subject,  in  which  he  proposed  leaving 
Detroit  the  ensuing  spring,  in  Indian  canoes,  as  being  best  adapted 
to  the  navigation  of  the  shallow  waters  of  the  upper  country,  and 
to  the  numerous  portages  which  it  is  necessary  to  make  from 
stream  to  stream. 

The  specific  objects  of  this  journey  were  to  obtain  a  more  cor- 
rect knowledge  of  the  names,  numbers,  customs,  history,  condi- 
tion, mode  of  subsistence,  and  dispositions  of  the  Indian  tribes ; 
to  survey  the  topography  of  the  country,  and  collect  the  mate- 
rials for  an  accurate  map;  to  locate  the  site  and  purchase  the 
ground  for  a  garrison  at  the  foot  of  Lake  Superior ;  to  investigate 
the  subject  of  the  north-western  copper  mines,  lead  mines,  and 
gypsum  quarries,  and  to  purchase  from  the  Indian  tribes  such 
tracts  as  might  be  necessary  to  secure  to  the  United  States  the 
ultimate  advantages  to  be  derived  from  them.  To  accomplish 
these  objects,  it  was  proposed  to  attach  to  the  expedition  a  topo- 
graphical engineer,  an  astronomer,  a  physician,  and  a  mineralogist 
and  geologist,  and  some  other  scientific  observers. 

Mr.  Calhoun  not  only  approved  of  the  proposed  plan,  but 


IXTRODUCTION.  23 

determined  to  enable  the  governor  to  carry  it  into  complete  effect, 
by  ordering  an  escort  of  soldiers,  and  enjoining  it  upon  the  com- 
mandants of  tlie  frontier  garrisons,  to  furnisb  every  aid  that  the 
exigencies  of  the  party  might  require,  either  in  men,  boats,  or 
supplies. 

It  is  only  necessary  to  add,  that  I  was  honored  with  the  ap- 
pointment of  mineralogist  and  geologist  to  the  expedition,  in 
which  capacity  I  kept  the  following  journal.  In  presenting  it  to 
the  public,  it  will  not  be  deemed  improper  if  I  acknowledge  the 
obligations  which  I  have  incurred  in  transcribing  it,  by  availing 
myself  of  a  free  access  to  the  valuable  library  of  His  Excel  lenc}' 
De  Witt  Clinton,  and  of  the  taste  and  skill  of  Mr.  Henry  Inman, 
in  drawing  a  number  of  the  views  which  embellish  the  work. 

HENEY  B.  SCHOOLCKAFT. 

Albany,  May  14,  1821. 


PRELIMIIIRT    DOCUMENTS. 


I.  Original  Memoir  suggestive  of  the  Expedition. 

II.  Mr.  Calhoun's  Letter  of  sanction  of  it. 

III.  Employment  of  a  Mineralogist  and  Geologist. 

IV.  Policy  of  granting  Permits  to  take  away  Minerals  from  the  Indian 

Country. 
V.  A  Topographical  Engineer  and  Astronomer  ordered  from  the  Military 
Academy  at  West  Point. 
VI.  Vll.  Military  Orders  of  Generals  Brown  and  Macomb. 


PRELIMINARY  DOCUMENTS. 


I. 

Detroit,  November  18,  1819. 

Sir:  The  country  upon  the  soutliern  shore  of  Lake  Superior, 
and  upon  the  water  communication  between  that  Lake  and  the 
Mississippi,  has  been  but  little  explored,  and  its  natural  features 
are  imperfectly  known.  We  have  no  correct  topographical  de- 
lineation of  it,  and  the  little  information  we  possess  relating  to  it 
has  been  derived  from  the  reports  of  the  Indian  traders. 

It  has  occurred  to  yne  that  a  tour  through  that  country,  with 
a  view  to  examine  the  productions  of  its  animal,  vegetable,  and 
mineral  kingdoms,  to  explore  its  facilities  for  water  communica- 
tion, to  delineate  its  natural  objects,  and  to  ascertain  its  present 
and  future  probable  value,  would  not  be  uninteresting  in  itself, 
nor  useless  to  the  Government.  Such  an  expedition  would  not 
be  wholly  unimportant  in  the  public  opinion,  and  would  well 
accord  with  that  zeal  for  inquiries  of  this  nature  which  has  re- 
cently marked  the  administration  of  the  War  Department. 

But,  however  interesting  such  a  tour  might  be  in  itself,  or 
however  important  in  its  result,  either  in  a  political  or  geogra- 
phical point  of  view,  I  should  not  have  ventured  to  suggest  the 
subject,  nor  to  solicit  your  permission  to  carry  it  into  effect,  were 
it  not,  in  other  respects,  intimately  connected  with  the  discharge 
of  my  official  duties. 

Mr.  Woodbridge,  the  delegate  from  this  Territory,  at  my  re- 
quest, takes  charge  of  this  letter,  and  he  is  so  intimately  acquainted 
with  the  subject,  and  every  way  so  competent  to  enter  into  any 
explanations  you  may  require,  that  I  shall  not  be  compelled  to 
go  as  much  into  detail  as,  under  other  circumstances,  might  be 
necessary. 

The  route  which  I  propose  to  take,  is  from  here  to  Michili- 


28  PRELIMINARY  DOCUMENTS. 

mackinac,  and  from  thence,  by  the  Straits  of  St.  Mary's,  to 
the  river  which  contains  the  body  of  copper  ore  (specimens  of 
which  have  been  transmitted  to  the  Government),  and  to  the  ex- 
tremity of  Lake  Superior. 

From  that  point,  up  the  river  which  forms  the  water  communi- 
cation between  that  lake  and  the  Mississippi,  to  the  latter  river, 
and,  by  the  way  of  Prairie  du  Chien  and  Green  Bay,  to  Lake 
Michigan. 

The  political  objects  which  require  attention  upon  this  route 
are: — 

1.  A  personal  examination  of  the  different  Indian  tribes  who 
occupy  the  country ;  of  their  moral  and  social  condition ;  of  their 
feelings  towards  the  United  States;  of  their  numerical  strength; 
and  of  the  various  objects  connected  with  them,  of  which  hu- 
manity and  sound  policy  require  that  the  Government  should 
possess  an  intimate  knowledge.  We  are  very  little  acquainted 
with  these  Indians,  and  I  indulge  the  expectation  that  such  a 
visit  would  be  productive  of  beneficial  effects. 

The  extract  from  the  letter  of  Colonel  Leavenworth,  herewith 
inclosed,  and  the  speech  of  the  Winnebago  Indians,  transmitted 
to  the  War  Department  by  Mr.  Graham,  from  Eock  Island,  Feb- 
ruary 24,  1819,  will  show  how  much  we  have  yet  to  learn  re- 
specting these  tribes,  which  are  comparatively  near  to  us. 

2.  Another  important  object  is,  to  procure  the  extinction  of 
Indian  titles  to  the  land  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Straits  of  St.  Mary's, 
Prairie  du  Chien,  Green  Bay,  and  upon  the  communication  be- 
tween the  two  latter  places. 

I  will  not  trouble  you  with  any  observations  respecting  the 
necessity  of  procuring  these  cessions.  They  are  the  prominent 
points  of  the  country — the  avenues  of  communication  by  which 
alone  it  can  be  approached. 

Two  of  them — Prairie  du  Chien  and  Green  Bay — are  occupied 
by  a  considerable  population,  and  the  Straits  of  St.  Alary's  by  a 
few  families.  The  undefined  nature  of  their  rights  and  duties, 
and  the  uncertain  tenure  by  which  they  hold  their  lands,  render 
it  important  that  some  step  should  be  taken  by  the  Government 
to  relieve  them.  I  think,  too,  that  a  cession  of  territory,  with  a 
view  to  immediate  sale  and  settlement,  would  be  highly  important 
in  the  event  of  any  difficulties  with  the  Indians. 


PRELIMINARY  DOCUMENTS.  29 

My  experience  at  Indian  treaties  convinces  me  that  reasonable 
cessions,  upon  proper  terms,  may  at  any  time  be  procured.  At 
the  treaty  recently  concluded  at  Saginaw,  the  Indians  were  will- 
ing to  cede  the  country  in  the  vicinity  of  Michilimackinac,  but  I 
did  not  feel  authorized  to  treat  with  them  for  it. 

Upon  this  subject,  I  transmit  extracts  from  the  letters  of  Mr. 
Boyd  and  Colonel  Bowyer,  by  which  it  will  be  seen  that  these 
gentlemen  anticipate  no  difficulty  in  procuring  these  cessions. 

3.  Another  important  object  is  the  examination  of  the  body 
of  copper  in  the  vicinity  of  Lake  Superior,  As  early  as  the  year 
1800,  Mr.  Tracy,  then  a  senator  from  Connecticut,  was  dispatched 
to  make  a  similar  examination.  He,  however,  proceeded  no  far- 
ther than  Michilimackinac.  Since  then,  several  attempts  have 
been  made,  which  have  proved  abortive.  The  specimens  of 
virgin  copper  which  have  been  sent  to  the  seat  of  Government 
have  been  procured  by  the  Indians,  or  by  the  half-breeds,  from  a 
large  mass,  represented  to  weigh  many  tons,  which  has  fallen 
from  the  brow  of  a  hill. 

I  anticipate  no  difficulty  in  reaching  the  spot,  and  it  may  be 
highly  important  to  the  Government  to  divide  this  mass,  and  to 
transport  it  to  the  seaboard  for  naval  purposes. 

It  is  also  important  to  examine  the  neighboring  country,  which 
is  said  to  be  rich  in  its  mineral  productions. 

I  should  propose  that  the  land  in  the  vicinity  of  this  river  be 
purchased  of  the  Indians.  It  could  doubtless  be  done  upon  rea- 
sonable terms,  and  the  United  States  could  then  cause  a  complete 
examination  of  it  to  be  made. 

Such  a  cession  is  not  unimportant  in  another  point  of  view. 
Some  persons  have  already  begun  to  indulge  in  speculations  upon 
this  subject.  The  place  is  remote,  and  the  means  of  communicat- 
ing with  it  are  few.  By  timely  presents  to  the  Indians,  illegal 
possessions  might  be  gained,  and  much  injury  might  be  done, 
much  time  might  elapse,  and  much  difficulty  be  experienced, 
before  such  trespassers  could  be  removed. 

4.  To  ascertain  the  views  of  the  Indians  in  the  vicinity  of 
Chicago,  respecting  the  removal  of  the  Six  Nations  to  that  district 
of  country,  an  extract  from  the  letter  of  Mr.  Kenzic,  sub-agent  at 
Chicago,  upon  this  subject,  will  show  the  situation  in  which  this 
business  stands. 


30  PRELIMINARY  DOCUMENTS. 

5.  To  explain  to  the  Indians  the  views  of  the  Government 
respecting  their  intercourse  with  the  British  authorities  at  Maiden, 
and  distinctly  to  announce  to  them  that  their  visits  must  be  dis- 
continued. 

It  is  probable  that  the  annunciation  of  the  new  system  which 
you  have  directed  to  be  pursued  upon  this  subject,  and  the  ex- 
planations connected  with  it,  can  be  made  with  more  efiect  by 
me  than  by  ordinary  messengers. 

6,  To  ascertain  the  state  of  the  British  fur  trade  within  that 
part  of  our  jurisdiction.  Our  information  upon  this  subject  is 
very  limited,  while  its  importance  requires  that  it  should  be  fully 
known. 

In  addition  to  these  objects,  I  think  it  very  important  to  carry 
the  flag  of  the  United  States  into  those  remote  regions,  where  it 
has  never  been  borne  by  any  person  in  a  public  station. 

The  means  by  which  I  propose  to  accomplish  this  tour  are 
simple  and  economical.  All  that  will  be  required  is  an  ordinary 
birch  canoe,  and  permission  to  employ  a  competent  number  of 
Canadian  boatmen.  The  whole  expense  will  be  confined  within 
narrow  limits,  and  no  appropriation  will  be  necessary  to  defray 
it.  I  only  request  permission  to  assign  to  this  object  a  small 
part  of  the  sum  apportioned  for  Indian  expenditures  at  this  place, 
say  from  1,000  to  1,500  dollars. 

If,  however,  the  Government  should  think  that  a  small  display 
of  force  might  be  proper,  an  additional  canoe,  to  be  manned  with 
active  soldiers,  and  commanded  by  an  intelligent  officer,  would 
not  increase  the  expense,  and  would  give  greater  effect  to  any 
representations  which  might  be  made  to  the  Indians. 

An  intelligent  officer  of  engineers,  to  make  a  correct  chart 
for  the  information  of  the  Government,  would  add  to  the  value  of 
the  expedition. 

I  am  not  competent  to  speculate  upon  the  natural  history  of  the 
country  through  which  we  may  pass.  Should  this  object  be  deemed 
important,  I  request  that  some  person  acquainted  with  zoology, 
botany,  and  mineralogy  may  be  sent  to  join  me. 

It  is  almost  useless  to  add  that  I  do  not  expect  any  compensa- 
tion for  my  own  services,  except  the  ordinary  allowance  for  nego- 
tiating Indian  treaties,  should  you  think  proper  to  direct  any  to 
be  held,  and  intrust  the  charge  of  them  to  me. 


PRELIMINARY  DOCUMENTS.  31 

I  request  tliat  you  will  communicate  to  me,  as  early  as  convenient, 
your  determination  upon  tins  subject,  as  it  will  be  necessary  to 
prepare  a  canoe  during  tlie  winter,  to  be  ready  to  enter  upon  the 
tour  as  soon  as  tlie  navigation  of  the  Lakes  is  open,  should  you 
think  proper  to  approve  the  plan. 

Very  respectfully,  &c. 

LEWIS  CASS. 
Hon.  John  C.  Calhoun,  Secretary  of  ^Yar. 

IL 

Department  of  AVae,  January  14,  1820. 

Sir  :  I  have  received  your  letters  of  the  18th  and  21st  November 
last.  The  exploring  tour  you  propose  has  the  sanction  of  the 
Government,  provided  the  expenditure  can  be  made  out  of  the 
sum  allotted  your  superintendency  for  Indian  affairs,  adding  thereto 
one  thousand  dollars  for  that  special  purpose. 

The  objects  of  this  expedition  are  comprised  under  the  five 
heads  stated  in  your  letter  of  the  18th  of  November,  and  which 
you  will  consider — with  the  exception  of  that  part  which  relates  to 
holding  Indian  treaties,  upon  which  you  will  be  fully  instructed 
hereafter — as  forming  part  of  the  instructions  which  may  be  given 
you  by  this  Department. 

Should  your  reconnoissance  extend  to  the  western  extremity  of 
Lake  Superior,  you  will  ascertain  the  practicability  of  a  commu- 
nication between  the  Bad,  or  Burntwood  Eiver,  which  empties 
into  the  Lake,  and  the  Copper,  or  St,  Croix,  which  empties  into 
the  Mississippi,  and  the  facility  they  present  for  a  communication 
with  our  posts  on  the  St.  Peter's. 

The  Montreal  rivers  will  also  claim  your  attention,  with  a  view 
of  establishing,  through  them,  a  communication  between  Green 
Bay  and  the  west  end  of  Lake  Superior. 

To  aid  you  in  the  accomplishment  of  these  important  objects, 
some  of&cers  of  Topographical  Engineers  will  be  ordered  to  join 
you.  Perhaps  Major  Long,  now  here,  will  be  directed  to  take 
that  route  to  join  the  expedition  which  he  commands  up  the 
Missouri.  In  that  event,  a  person  acquainted  with  zoology  and 
botany  will  be  selected  to  accompany  him.  Feeling,  as  I  do,  great 
interest  in  obtaining  a  correct  topograpical,  geographical,  and 
military  survey  of  our  country,  every  encouragement,  consistent 


32  PRELIMINAEY  DOCUMENTS. 

with  the  means  in  my  power,  will  be  given  by  the  Department. 
To  this  end,  General  Macomb  will  be  ordered  to  afford  you  every 
facility  you  may  require. 

I  have,  &c., 

J.  C.  CALHOUN. 
His  Excellency,  Lewis  Cass,  Detroit,  M.  T. 

III. 

Department  of  War,  February  25,  1820. 

Sir  :  Mr.  Schoolcraft,  a  gentleman  of  science  and  observation, 
and  particularly  skilled  in  mineralogy,  has  applied  to  me  to  be 
permitted  to  accompany  you  on  your  exploring  tour  upon  Lake 
Superior.  I  have  directed  him  to  report  to  you,  for  that  duty, 
under  the  belief  that  he  will  be  highly  useful  to  you,  as  well  as 
serviceable  to  the  Government  and  the  promotion  of  science. 

You  will  furnish  him  with  the  necessary  supplies  and  accommo- 
dation while  employed,  and  every  facility  necessary  to  enable  him 
to  obtain  a  knowledge  of  the  mineralogy  of  the  country  as  far  as 
practicable. 

I  have,  &c., 

J.  C.  CALHOUN. 
His  Excellency,  Lewis  Cass,  Detroit. 

IV. 

Detroit,  March  10,  1820. 

Sir  :  I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  let- 
ter of  the  17th  ult.,  inclosing  a  copy  of  a  letter  from  Giles  San- 
ford  &  Co. 

Their  statement  with  respect  to  the  discovery  of  plaster  of 
Paris  upon  one  or  more  of  the  islands  in  the  vicinity  of  Michili- 
mackinac,  to  which  the  Indian  title  has  not  been  extinguished,  is 
correct.  Specimens  of  this  plaster  have  been  brought  here,  and 
it  is  reported,  by  competent  judges,  to  be  of  the  best  and  purest 
kind.  The  quantity  is  stated  to  be  inexhaustible,  and,  as  vessels 
generally  return  empty,  or  nearly  so,  from  the  upper  lakes,  it 
could  be  transported  to  any  part  of  Lake  Erie  at  a  trifling  expense. 

I  have  great  doubts,  however,  whether  it  would  be  proper  for 
the  Government  to  grant  any  permission  to  remove  this  plaster 
until  the  Indian  title  to  the  land  is  extinguished.     The  power  of 


PRELIMINARY  DOCUMENTS.  33 

granting  permission  for  that  purpose  is  not  given  in  tlic  "act  to 
regulate  trade  and  intercourse  with  the  Indian  tribes,  and  to  pre- 
serve peace  on  the  frontiers,"  and  appears,  in  fact,  to  be  incon- 
sistent with  its  general  spirit  and  objects.  To  authorize  these 
gentlemen  to  negotiate  with  the  Indians  for  such  a  permission,  is 
contrary  to  the  settled  policy  which  has  always  been  pursued  by 
the  United  States.  I  know  of  no  case  in  which  individuals  have 
been  or  should  be  permitted  to  hold  any  councils  with  the  In- 
dians, except  to  procure  the  extinction  of  their  title  to  lands, 
claimed  under  grants  from  one  of  the  States.  The  application 
here  must  be  to  the  tribe,  because  in  all  their  land  there  is  a  com- 
munity of  interest,  which  cannot  be  severed  or  conveyed  by  the 
acts  of  individuals. 

But,  independent  of  precedent,  there  are  strong  objections  to 
this  course  in  principle.  If  private  persons  are  authorized  to 
open  such  negotiations  for  any  object,  the  Government  will  find 
it  very  difl&cult  to  procure  from  the  Indians  any  cession  of  land 
upon  reasonable  terms. 

Were  these  islands  the  property  of  the  United  States,  I  think 
it  would  be  very  proper  to  permit  the  plaster  upon  them  to  be 
removed  by  every  person  making  application  for  that  purpose. 
The  supply  being  inexhaustible,  the  agricultural  interest  would 
be  greatly  promoted  by  such  a  measure,  and  the  dependence  upon 
a  foreign  country  for  this  important  article  would  be  removed. 

I  therefore  take  the  liberty  of  recommending  that  a  cession  of 
these  islands  be  procured  by  the  United  States  from  the  Indians. 
I  presume  that  this  may  be  done  without  the  payment  of  any 
annuity  to  them,  and  without  any  expense,  except,  perhaps,  a 
few  trifling  presents.  The  plaster  would  then  be  at  the  disposal 
of  Government,  and  its  free  distribution,  under  such  regulations 
as  might  be  adopted  to  prevent  disputes  between  the  adventurers, 
or  a  monopoly  by  any  of  them,  would  be  equally  proper  and 
beneficial. 

Very  respectfully,  sir, 

I  have  the  honor  to  be 

Your  most  obedient  servant, 

LEWIS  CASS. 
Hon.  John  C.  Calhoun,  Secretary  of  War. 

3 


34  PKELIMINARY  DOCUMENTS. 

Y. 

Extract  of  a  letter  from  the  Secretary  of  "War  to  Governor 
Lewis  Cass,  dated 

April  5,  1820. 

Sir :  I  have  received  your  letters  of  the  10th,  11th,  and  17th 
ultimo.  In  relation  to  procuring  cessions  of  land  from  the 
Indians,  the  Government  has  decided  that  it  would  be  inexpedient 
to  obtain  any  farther  extinguishment  of  Indian  title,  except  at  the 
Sault  de  St.  Marie,  where  it  is  the  wish  of  the  Department,  that 
an  inconsiderable  cession,  not  exceeding  ten  miles  square  (unless 
strong  reasons  for  a  greater  cession  should  present  themselves 
from  an  actual  inspection  of  the  country),  should  be  acquired 
upon  the  most  reasonable  terms,  so  as  to  comprehend  the  pro- 
posed military  position  there. 

Herewith  you  will  receive  a  plate  of  the  country  about  the 
Sault  de  St.  Marie,  on  which  is  indicated  the  military  site  intended 
to  be  occupied  for  defence.  You  will  also  procure  the  cession  of 
the  islands  containing  plaster,  provided  these  islands  are  clearly 
within  the  boundary  of  the  United  States,  and  can  be  obtained 
without  any  considerable  expense. 

A  commission,  authorizing  you  to  hold  these  treaties,  will  be 
forwarded  to  you  in  a  few  days. 

As  it  is  desirable  to  know  by  what  title  the  people  at  Green 
Bay  and  Prairie  du  Chien  hold  their  lands,  and  whether  or  not 
the  Indian  titles  to  those  lands  were  extinguished  by  the  French, 
at  any  period  subsequent  to  their  possession  of  the  countrj'- 
(which  is  the  impression  of  this  Department),  you  will  communi- 
cate such  information  as  you  possess,  or  may  obtain,  during  your 
tour,  on  this  subject. 

In  addition  to  Mr.  Schoolcraft,  Captain  Douglass,  of  the  en- 
gineer corps,  has  been  ordered  to  join  you,  and  Mr.  AVhitney  (in 
whose  behalf  application  has  been  made  for  that  purpose)  may 
accompany  you,  if  you  can  accommodate  him.  Should  he  accom- 
pany you,  he  will  be  allowed  the  same'  compensation  made  to  Mr. 
Schoolcraft,  who  will  be  allowed  one  dollar  and  fifty  cents  a  day 
for  the  time  actually  employed. 


PRELIMINARY  DOCUMENTS.  35 

VI. 

Northern  Division. 
Adjutant-General's  Office,  10th  Feln-uary,  1810. 

(division  order.) 

Major-General  Macomb,  commandant  of  the  oth  military  de- 
partment, will,  without  delay,  concentrate  at  Detroit  the  5th  regi- 
ment of  Infantry,  excepting  the  recruits  otherwise  directed  by 
the  general  order  herewith  transmitted.  As  soon  as  the  naviga- 
tion of  the  Lakes  will  admit,  he  will  cause  the  regiment  to  be 
transported  to  Fort  Howard ;  from  thence,  by  the  way  of  the  Fox 
and  Wisconsin  Kivers,  to  Prairie  du  Chien,  and,  after  detaching 
a  sufficient  number  of  companies  to  garrison  Forts  Crawford  and 
Armstrong,  the  remainder  will  proceed  to  the  moiith  of  the  Kiver 
St.  Peter's,  where  they  will  establish  a  post,  at  which  the  head- 
quarters of  the  regiment  will  be  located.  The  regiment,  previous 
to  its  departure,  will  receive  the  necessary  supplies  of  clothing, 
provisions,  arms,  and  ammunition.  Immediate  application  will  be 
made  to  Brigadier-Greneral  Jesup,  Quartermaster-General,  for  funds 
necessary  to  execute  the  movements  required  by  this  order. 

By  order  of  Major-General  Brown. 

(Signed)  JOHN  E.  WOOL, 

Lispector-  General. 

VII. 

Assistant  Adjutant-General's  Office. 
Detroit,  April  13,  1819. 

(Department  Order.) 
The  season  having  now  arrived  when  the  lakes  may  be  navi- 
gated with  safety,  a  detachment  of  the  5th  regiment,  to  consist 
of  Major  Marston's  and  Captain  Fowle's  companies,  under  the 
command  of  Major  Muhlenburg,  will  proceed  to  Green  Bay.  Sur- 
geon's mate  E.  M.  Byrne,  of  the  5th  regiment,  will  accompany 
the  detachment.  The  assistant  deputy  quartermaster-general 
wiU  furnish  the  necessary  transport,  and  will  send  by  the  same 
opportunity  two  hundred  barrels  of  provisions,  which  he  will  draw 
from  the  contractor  at  this  post.  The  provisions  must  be  exa- 
mined and  inspected,  and  properly  put  up  for  transportation. 
Colonel  Leavenworth  will,  without  delay,  prepare  his  regiment  to 


•36  PRELIMINARY  DOCUMENTS. 

move  to  the  posts  on  the  Mississippi,  agreeably  to  the  Division 
order  of  the  10th  of  February.  The  assistant  deputy  quarter- 
master-general will  furnish  the  necessary  transportation,  to  be 
ready  by  the  first  of  May  next.  The  Colonel  will  make  requi- 
sition for  such  stores,  ammunition,  tools,  and  implements  as  may 
be  required,  and  he  be  able  to  take  with  him  on  the  expedition. 
Particular  instructions  will  be  given  to  the  Colonel,  explaining 
^the  objects  of  liis  expedition. 

Mr.  Melvin  Dorr  is  appointed  Inspector  of  Provisions,  and  he 
will  inspect  all  provisions  intended  for  the  use  of  the  army,  before 
they  are  received  and  issued.  Lieutenant  Brooks,  of  the  8d 
regiment  will  forward,  by  the  first  detachment,  such  recruits  as 
he  has  for  the  companies  of  the  3d  regiment  at  Mackinac. 

By  order  of  MAJOE-GENERAL  MACOMB. 
(Signed)  CHESTER  ROOT,  A.  D.  company,  and 

Actg.  Assist.  AdjL- General. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 


NAREATIYE   OF  THE  EXPEDITION 


CHAPTEE    I 


Departure — Considerations  on  visiting  the  northern  summits  early  in  the  season — 
Cross  the  Highlands  of  the  Hudson — Incidents  of  the  journey  from  Albany  to 
Buffalo — Visit  Niagara  Falls — Their  grandeur  the  effect  of  magnitude — Embark      ^ 
on  board  the  steamer  Walk-in-the-AVater — Passage  up  Lake  Erie — Reach  Detroit. 

The  determination  to  penetrate  to  the  source  of  tlie  Mississippi, 
during  tlie  summer  montlis,  made  an  early  departure  important. 
I  had,  while  at  Potosi,  in  Missouri,  during  the  prior  month  of 
February,  written  to  Hon.  J.  B.  Thomas,  U.  S.  S.,  Washington,  to 
endeavor  to  secure  an  appointment  to  explore  the  mineralogy  and 
natural  features  of  the  upper  Mississippi  Eiver ;  and  as  soon  as  I 
had  published  my  treatise  on  the  mines  and  minerals  of  Missouri, 
I  proceeded  to  Washington,  and  submitted  to  the  proper  officers 
of  the  Government,  my  account  of  the  mineralogical  wealth  of  the 
w^estern  domains,  with  a  plan  for  the  management  of  the  public 
mines.  Mr.  Calhoun  decidedly  favored  these  views ;  but,  foresee- 
ing the  necessity  of  congressional  action  on  the  subject,  and  the 
necessary  delays  of  departmental  references,  said  to  me,  that  he 
had  just  received  a  memoir  from  Governor  Cass,  of  Michigan, 
proposing  an  expedition  to  the  source  of  the  Mississippi,  to  leave 
Detroit  early  in  the  spring,  and  offered  me  the  position  of  mine- 
ralogist and  geologist  on  that  service.  This  agreeing,  as  it  did, 
with  my  prior  views  of  exploring  the  public  domains,  I  gladly 
accepted,  and  immediately  returned  to  the  city  of  New  York  to 
prepare  for  the  journey. 

,    The  year  1820  had  commenced  with  severe  weather,  the  Hudson 
being  frozen  hard,  as  high  as  AYest  Point,  on  the  1st  of  January; 


40  NAERATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

and  there  was  a  fall  of  snow  between  tlie  lOtli  and  lltli  of  Feb- 
-ruary,  which  laid  four  feet  deep  in  the  streets  of  New  York. 
March  opened  with  mildness,  and  every  appearance  denoted  an 
early  spring,  which  led  me  to  hasten  my  movement  north.  I  left 
New  York  on  the  6th  of  March,  in  the  citizens'  post-coach,  on 
sleighs,  for  Albany,  taking  the  route  through  Westchester,  and 
over  the  Highlands  of  Putnam  and  Dutchess;  sleeping  at  Fishkill 
and  Kinderhook,  the  first  and  secon^  nights,  and  reaching  Albany 
on  the  morning  of  the  7th,  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  miles.  This  distance  we  made  in  forty  hours  actual  travel- 
ling, averaging  four  miles  per  hour,  incidental  stops  included, 
which  is  about  the  rate  of  travelling  by  the  trekschuits  of  Holland,* 
and  by  sledges  over  the  frozen  grounds  of  Kussia.f  In  crossing 
the  Highlands,  some  one,  in  the  change  of  the  stage-sleighs, 
pilfered  a  small  box  of  choice  minerals  which  I  set  store  by ;  the 
thief  thinking,  probably,  from  the  weight  and  looks  of  the  box, 
which  had  been  a  banker's,  that  it  was  still  filled  with  coin.  We 
crossed  the  Hudson  from  Grreenbush,  in  a  boat  drawn  through  a 
channel  cut  in  the  ice.  Snow  still  laid  in  the  streets  of  Albany, 
and  a  cold  north  wind  presaged  a  change  of  temperature.  Next 
day  there  was  a  hail-storm  from  the  north-west,  with  rain  and  sleet, 
and  on  the  morning  of  the  9th,  the  hail  lay  six  inches  deep  in 
the  streets.  In  the  evening,  proceeded  by  stage  to  the  city  of 
Schenectady,  a  distance  of  sixteen  miles,  across  the  arenaceous 
tract  of  the  Pine  Plains,  by  a  turnpike,  which  forms  the  shorter 
line  of  a  triangle,  made  by  the  junction  of  the  Mohawk  with  the 
Hudson  River.  This  tract  is  boanded  southerly  by  the  blue 
summits  of  the  Helderberg,  a  .prominent  spur  of  the  Catskill 
Mountain.  At  Schenectady,  we  experienced  a  night  of  severe 
cold,  and  the  next  day,  at  an  early  hour,  I  took  a  seat  in  the  stage- 
sleigh  for  Utica,  which  we  reached  at  seven  in  the  evening.  The 
distance  is  ninety-six  miles,  which  we  passed  in  seventeen  hours, 
going  an  average  rate  of  five  miles  per  hour.  The  road  lies  up 
the  valley  of  the  Mohawk,  a  name  which  recalls  the  history  of 
one  of  the  most  celebrated  members  of  the  Iroquois,  a  confederacy 
of  bold  and  indomitable  tribes,  who,  at  an  early  day,  either  pushed 
their  conquests  or  carried  the  terror  of  their  arms  from  the  St. 
Lawrence  to  the  Mississippi. 

*  Professor  F.  HaU.  f  Clarke's  Travels. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  41" 

The  winter  was  still  unbroken,  and  the  weather  had  assumed 
so  unpropitious  an  aspect,  since  leaving  New  York,  that  there 
was  no  probability  of  the  navigation  of  the  lakes  being  open  so 
as  to  embark  at  Buffalo  before  May.  I  proceeded  seventeen  miles 
west  to  my  father's  residence,  in  the  village  of  Yernon,  to  await 
the  development  of  milder  weather.  On  the  10th  of  April,  I  re- 
sumed my  journey,  taking  the  western  stage,  which  had  left  Utica 
at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning.  We  lodged  the  first  night  at 
Skeneateles,  at  the  foot  of  the  beautiful  and  sylvan  lake  of  the 
same  name,  and  reached  Geneva  the  next  day,  at  one  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon.  The  roads  were  now  dry  and  dusty ;  indeed,  the  last 
traces  of  snow  had  been  seen  in  sheltered  positions,  in  passing 
through  Oneida  County,  and  every  appearance  in  the  Ontario 
country  indicated  a  season  ten  days  more  advanced  than  the  valley 
of  the  Mohawk.  The  field  poplar  put  forth  leaves  on  the  18th, 
and  apricots  were  in  bloom  on  the  22d. 

At  Geneva  I  remained  until  the  28th  of  April,  when  I  again 
took  my  seat  in  the  mail-stage,  passing,  in  the  course  of  the 
day,  the  lower  margin  of  Canandaigua  Lake,  and  through  the 
attractive  and  tastefully  laid-out  village  of  the  same  name,  and, 
after  continuing  the  route  through  a  most  fertile  country,  with  a 
constantly  expanding  vegetation,  reached  Avon,  on  the  banks  of 
the  Genesee  River.  Here  we  slept.  The  next  morning  (the  29th), 
we  crossed  this  noble  stream,  and,  after  a  long  and  fatiguing  day's 
staging,  reached  Buffalo  in  the  evening.  I  was  now  at  an  estimated 
distance  of  two  hundred  and  ten  miles  west  of  Utica,  and  three 
hundred  and  twenty -two  from  Albany.  We  had  found  the  peach 
and  apple-tree  in  blossom,  and  the  vegetation  generally  in  an 
advanced  state,  until  reaching  within  eight  or  ten  miles  of  Lake 
Erie,  where  the  force  of  the  "winds,  and  the  bodies  of  floating  ice, 
evidently  had  the  effect  to  retard  vegetation.  No  vessel  had  yet 
ventured  from  the  harbor,  and  although  the  steamer  Walk-in-the- 
Water  was  advertised  for  the  1st  of  May,  it  was  determined  to  delay 
her  sailing  until  the  6th.     This  gave  me  time  to  visit  Niagara* 

*  This  is  an  Iroquois  word,  said  to  signify  the  thunder  of  waters.  The  word, 
as  pronounced  by  the  Senecas,  is  Oniagarah.  For  additional  information  on  this 
subject,  see  Notes  on  the  Iroquois,  p.  453.  The  etymology  of  the  word  has  not, 
however,  been  fully  examined.  It  is  clear  the  pronunciation  of  the  word  in  Gold- 
smith's day  was  Niagara. 


42  NAERATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

Falls,  and  some  other  places  of  historical  interest  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. This  object  I  executed  immediately,  taking  a  horse  and 
buggy,  and  keeping  down  the  American  shore.  The  distance  is 
twenty-two  miles,  in  which  the  Tonewanda  Eiver  is  crossed  by  a 
bridge.  The  day  was  clear  and  warm,  with  a  light  breeze  blow- 
ing down  the  river.  I  stopped  several  times  to  listen  for  the 
sound  of  the  Falls,  but  at  the  distance  of  fifteen,  ten,  eight,  and 
even  five  miles,  could  not  distinguish  any;  the  course  of  the 
wind  being,  indeed,  adverse  to  the  transmission  of  sound,  in  that 
direction,  until  reaching  Avithin  some  two  or  three  miles.  There 
is  nothing  in  the  character  of  the  country,  in  the  approach  from 
Buffalo,  to  apprise  the  visitor  of  the  difference  in  its  level  and 
geological  stratification,  and  thus  prepare  the  mind  to  expect  a 
cataract.  It  is  different,  I  afterwards  learned,  in  the  approach 
from  Lewiston,  in  which  quite  a  mountain  must  first  be  ascended, 
when  views  are  often  had  of  the  most  striking  parts  of  the  gulf, 
which  has  been  excavated  by  the  passage  of  the  Niagara  Eiver. 
It  was  not  easy  for  me  to  erect  standards  of  comparison  for  the 
eye  to  estimate  heights.  The  ear  is  at  first  stunned  by  the  inces- 
sant roar,  and  the  eye  bewildered  by  the  general  view.  I  spent 
two  days  at  the  place,  and  thus  became  familiarized  with  indi- 
vidual traits  of  the  landscape.  I  found  the  abyss  at  the  foot  of 
the  Falls  to  be  the  best  spot  for  accomplishing  that  object.  By  far 
the  greatest  disproportion  in  the  Falls  exists  between  the  height 
and  great  width  of  the  falling  sheet.  The  water  is  most  thick  and 
massy  at  the  Horseshoe  Fall,  which  gives  one  the  most  striking 
and  vivid  idea  of  creative  power.  In  fitting  positions  in  the  gulf, 
with  good  incidences  of  light,  the  Falls  look  like  a  mighty  torrent 
]30uring  down  from  the  clouds.  At  the  time  of  my  visit,  the 
wind  drove  immense  fields  of  ice  out  of  Lake  Erie,  with  floating 
trees  and  other  drift-wood,  but  I  never  saw  any  vestiges  of  these 
below  the  Falls,  In  front  of  the  column  of  water  falling  on  the 
American  side,  there  stood  an  enormous  pyramid  of  snow,  or 
congealed  spray. 

What  has  been  said  by  Goldsmith,  and  repeated  by  others, 
respecting  the  destructive  influence  of  the  Rapids  above  to  ducks 
and  water-fowl  is  imaginary — at  least,  as  to  the  American  sheet. 
So  far  from  it,  I  saw  the  wild  ducks  swim  down  the  Rapid,  as  if 
in  pursuit  of  some  article  of  food,  and  then  rise  and  fly  out  at  the 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  43 

brink,  and  repeat  the  descent,  as  if  delighted  with  the  gift  of 
wings,  which  enabled  them  to  sport  over  such  frightful  pre- 
cipices without  danger.  I  found  among  the  debris  in  the  abyss, 
pieces  of  hornstone,  and  crystals  of  calcareous  spar,  radiated 
quartz,  sulphuret  of  zinc,  and  sulphate  of  lime.  Its  geology  is 
best  explained  by  observing  that  the  river,  in  falling  over  the  pre- 
cipice of  the  Niagara  ridge  into  the  basin  of  Lake  Ontario,  leaps 
over  horizontal  strata  of  limestone,  slate,  and  red  sandstone.  In 
this  respect,  nothing  can  be  more  simple  and  plain.  It  is  magni- 
tude alone  that  makes  the  cataract  sublime. 

On  returning  to  Buffalo,  I  found  the  lake  rapidly  discharging 
its  ice,  which  had  been  recently  broken  up  by  a  storm  of  wind; 
and,  while  awaiting  the  motion  of  the  steamer,  I  was  joined  by 
Captain  D.  B.  Douglass,  Professor  of  Engineering  at  West  Point, 
who  had  been  appointed  topographer  and  astronomer  of  the 
expedition.  TVe  embarked  on  the  6th  of  May,  at  nine  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  in  the  steamer  Walk-in-the-Water,  an  elegant  and 
conveniently-planned  vessel,  with  a  low-pressure  Fulton  engine. 
This  boat  had  been  put  upon  the  lake  two  years  before,  when  it 
made  a  trip  to  Michilimackinac,  and  was,  indeed,  the  initial  boat 
in  the  history  of  steam  navigation  on  the  Lakes.  "VVe  embarked 
at  Black  Eock,  and  it  was  necessary  to  use  a  tow-line,  drawn  by 
oxen  on  the  shore,  to  enable  the  boat  to  ascend  the  Eapids,  This 
Captain  Eodgers,  a  gentlemanly  man,  facetiously  termed  his  horn- 
breeze.  The  oxen  were  dismissed  a  short  distance  before  reach- 
ing the  mouth  of  Buffalo  Creek,  where  we  reached  the  level  of 
Lake  Erie,  five  hundred  and  sixty  feet  above  the  tide- waters  of 
the  Hudson  Eiver.*  We  were  favored  with  clear  weather,  and, 
a  part  of  the  time,  with  a  fair  wind.  The  boat  touched  at  Erie, 
at  the  mouth  of  Grand  Eiver,  at  Cleveland,  and  at  Portland,  in 
Sandusky  Bay,  on  coming  out  of  which  we  passed  Cunningham 
Island,  and  the  Put-in-Bay  Islands,  from  a  harbor  in  which  Perry 
issued  to  achieve  his  memorable  naval  victory  on  the  10th  of 
September,  1813.  Passing  through  another  group  of  islands, 
called  the  Three  Sisters,  we  entered  the  mouth  of  the  Detroit 
Eiver  late  on  the  afternoon  of  the  8th,  just  as  the  light  became 
dim  and  shadowy.     The  scale  of  these  waters  is  magnificent. 

■^  Ficport  of  the  New  York  Canal  Commissioners. 


44  ISTAREATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

We  had  a  glimpse  of  the  town  and  fort  of  Maiden,  or  Amlierst- 
burg,  and  of  Boisblanc,  and  Gross  Isle,  which  were  the  last  objects 
distinctly  seen  in  our  ascent.  The  boat  pushed  on  her  way, 
under  the  guidance  of  good  pilots,  although  the  night  was  dark, 
and  we  reached  our  destination,  and  came  to,  at  the  city  of  Detroit, 
at  twelve  o'clock  P.  M.,  thus  completing  the  passage  in  sixty-two 
hours. 

The  next  morning,  an  of&cial  from  the  Executive  of  the  Michi- 
gan Territory  came  on  board  with  inquiries  respecting  Captain 
Douglass  and  myself,  and  we  soon  found  ourselves  ip  a  circle 
where  we  were  received  with  marked  respect  and  attention.  It 
was  pleasing  to  behold  that  this  respect  arose,  in  a  great  degree, 
from  the  high  interest  which  was  manifested,  in  all  classes,  for 
the  objects  of  the  expedition,  and  the  influence  which  its  explora- 
tory labors  were  expected  to  have  on  the  development  of  the 
resources  and  prosperity  of  the  country  at  large. 

General  Cass,  who  was  to  lead  the  expedition,  received  us  cor- 
dially, and  let  us  know  that  we  were  in  season,  as  some  days  would 
still  elapse  before  the  preparations  could  be  completed,  and  that 
the  canoes  in  which  we  were  to  travel  had  not  yet  reached  Detroit. 
We  were  also  cordially  welcomed  by  General  Macomb,  com- 
manding the  military  district.  Major  John  Biddle,  commanding 
officer  of  the  fort,  and  by  the  citizens  generally,  I  was  now,  by 
the  computations,  about  seven  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  my 
starting-point  at  New  York.  We  took  up  our  lodgings  at  the 
old  stone  house  occupied  by  Major  Whipple,  which,  from  its 
prominent  position  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  had  sustained  a 
random  cannonade  during  the  late  war.  We  were  here  introduced 
to  Dr.  Alexander  Wolcot,  who  filled  the  post  of  physician  to  the 
expedition,  and  to  Lieutenant  Eneas  Mackey,  United  §tates  artil- 
lery, commanding  the  escort.  Major  Eobert  A.  Forsyth,  private 
secretary  of  the  Executive,  and  commissary  of  the  expedition,  and 
superintendent  of  embarkation;  and  to  James  D.  Doty  and  Charles 
C.  Trowbridge,  Esqs.,  who  occupied,  respectively,  the  situations 
of  official  secretary  and  assistant  topographer. 

Detroit,  the  point  to  which  I  have  now  been  conducted,  is 
eligibly  situated  on  the  south  bank  of  the  straits  of  the  same 
name,  and  enjoys  the  advantage  of  a  regular  plan  and  spacious 
streets,  which  have  been  introduced  since  the  burning  of  the  old 


NARKATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION".  45 

French  town  in  1805,  not  a  building  of  wliich,  witliin  tlie  walls, 
was  saved.  Its  main  street,  Jeiferson  Avenue,  is  elevated  about 
forty  feet  above  the  river.  The  town  consists  of  about  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  houses  of  all  descriptions,  public  and  private,  and 
has  a  population  of  fourteen  hundred  and  fifty,*  exclusive  of  the 
garrison. 

To  the  historian  it  is  a  point  of  great  interest.  It  was  the  site 
of  an  Indian  village  called  Teuchsagondie  in  1620,  the  date  of  the 
landing  of  the  Pilgrims  at  Plymouth-.  Quebec  was  founded  in 
1608 ;  Albany  in  1611.  But  no  regular  settlement  or  occupancy 
took  place  here,  till  the  close  of  the  seventeenth  century.  In 
June,  1687,  the  French  took  formal  possession  of  the  straits  by 
erecting  the  arms  of  France.  On  the  21:th  of  July,  1701,  M. 
Cadillac  established  the  first  military  post.  Charlevoix,  who 
landed  here  in  1721,  found  it  the  site  of  Fort  Pontchartrain. 

In  1768  the  garrison,  being  then  under  British  colors,  sustained 
a  notable  siege  from  the  confederate  Indians  under  Pontiac.  It 
remained  under  English  rule  till  the  close  of  the  American  Eevolu- 
tion,  and  was  not  finally  surrendered  to  the  United  States  until 
1790,  the  year  followiug  Wayne's  treaty  at  Greenville.  Surrendered 
by  Hull  in  1812,  it  was  reoccupied  by  General  Harrison  in  Octo- 
ber, 1813.  It  received  a  city  charter  24th  October,  1815.  Indeed, 
the  prominent  civil  and  military  events  of  which  Detroit  has  been 
the  theatre,  confer  on  it  a  just  celebrity,  and  it  is  gratifying  to 
behold  that  to  these  events  it  adds  the  charm' of  a  beautiful  local 
site  and  fertile  surrounding  country.  A  cursory  view  of  the  map 
of  the  United  States,  will  indicate  its  importance  as  a  central, 
military  and  commercial  position.  Situated  on  the  great  chain 
of  lakes,  connecting  with  the  waters  of  the  Ohio,  Mississippi,  St. 
Lawrence,  Hudson,  and  Eed  Kiver  of  the  North,  and  communi- 
cating with  the  Atlantic  at  so  many  points,  and  with  a  harbor 
free  of  entrance  at  all  times,  its  business  capacities  and  means  of 
expansion  are  very  great.  And  when  the  natural  channels  of  com- 
munication of  the  great  lake  chain  shall  be  improved,  it  will 
afford  a  choice  of  markets  between  the  most  distant  points  of 
the  Atlantic  seaboard.  It  is  thus  destined  to  be  to  the  regions 
of  the  north-west,  what  St.  Louis  is  rapidly  becoming  to  the  south- 

•  The  census  of  Detroit  in  1850  gives  it  21,019. 


46  NAERATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION". 

west,  tlie  seat  of  its  commerce,  tlie  repository  of  its  wealtli,  and 
the  grand  focus  of  its  moral,  political,  and  physical  energies* 

*  Michigan.  This  Territory  contained,  at  this  period,  a  population  of  8,896  in- 
habitants, principally  Frenchmen,  who  were  the  descendants  of  the  original  settlers 
of  the  time  of  Louis  XIV.  In  1835,  the  population  had  so  increased,  chiefly  by  emi- 
gration from  the  older  States,  that  the  inhabitants  applied  for  admission  into 
the  Union.  The  act  of  Congress  admitting  it  was  passed  in  1830.  In  1846,  it  had 
212,267  souls.  By  the  seventh  national  census,  in  1850,  it  is  shown  to  have  a  popula- 
tion of  397,654,  entitling  it  to  four  representatives  in  Congress,  with  a  large  fraction. 
Its  resources,  its  healthful  climate,  fertile  soil,  and  very  advantageous  position  on 
the  great  chain  of  navigable  waters  of  the  Upper  Lakes,  must  insure  a  rapid  develop- 
ment of  its  means  and  resources,  and  place  the  State,  in  a  few  years,  in  a  high  rank 
among  the  circle  of  American  States. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  47 


CHAPTER  II. 

Preparations  for  the  expedition — Constitution  of  the  party — Mode  of  travel  in  canoes 
— Embarkation,  and  incidents  of  the  jom-ney  across  the  Lake,  and  up  the  Piiver 
St.  Ch\ir — Head  winds  encountered  on  Lake  Hm-on — Point  aus  barques — Cross 
Saganaw  Bay — Delays  in  ascending  the  Huron  coast^ — Its  geology  and  natural 
history — Reach  Michilimackinac. 

From  the  moment  of  our  arrival  at  Detroit,  we  devoted  our- 
selves, with  intensity,  to  the  preparation  necessary  for  entering 
the  wilderness.  We  were  to  travel,  from  this  point,  by  a  new 
mode  of  conveyance,  namely,  the  Indian  bark  canoe,  called  a 
chimaun,  a  vehicle  not  less  novel  than  curious.  Constructed  of 
large  and  thick  sheets  of  the  rind  of  the  betula  papyracea,  or 
northern  birch,  which  are  cut  in  garment-like  folds,  and  sewed 
together  with  the  thin  fibrous  roots  of  the  spruce,  on  a  thin  frame- 
work of  cedar  ribs,  and  having  gunwales,  -with  a  sheathing  of  the 
same  material,  interposed  between  the  bark  and  ribs.  The  seams 
are  carefully  gummed  with  the  pitch  of  the  pine.  The  largest  of 
these  canoes  are  thirty-six  feet  in  length,  and  seven  feet  wide  in 
the  centre,  tapering  to  a  point  each  way.  They  carry  a  mast  and 
sail,  and  are  steered  and  propelled  with  light  cedar  paddles. 
They  are  at  once  light,  so  as  to  be  readily  carried  over  the  port- 
ages, and  so  strong  as  to  bear  very  considerable  burdens.  Those 
intended  for  us,  were  ordered  from  the  Chippewas  of  Lake  Hui'on, 
near  Saganaw  Bay.  It  was  necessary  to  have  mosquito-bars 
portfolios,  knapsacks,  and  various  contrivances,  and  to  make 
baggage  of  every  sort  assume  the  least  possible  bulk  and  space. 
The  public  armorer  had  orders  to  furnish  me  suitable  hammers 
and  other  minerological  apparatus  for  preparing  and  packino- 
specimens.  The  expedition  was  quite  an  event  in  a  remote  town, 
and  everybody  seemed  to  take  an  interest  in  the  preparation.  A 
fortnight  passed  away  in  these  preparations,  and  in  awaiting  the 


48  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION'. 

arrival  of  the  canoes,  respecting  which  there  was  some  delay.  It 
was  the  2'ith  of  May  before  we  were  ready  to  embark.  Besides 
the  gentlemen  mentioned  as  constituting  the  travelling  p&^rty,  ten 
Canadian  voyageurs  were  taken  to  manage  the  canoes,  ten  United 
States  soldiers  to  serve  as  an  escort,  and  ten  Ottowa,  Chippewa, 
and  Shawnee  Indians  to  act  as  hunters,  under  the  directions  of 
James  Biley,  an  Anglo-American,  and  Joseph  Parks,  a  Shawnee 
captive  (at  present,  head  chief  of  the  Shawnee  nation),  as  inter- 
preters. This  canoe  contained  a  chief  called  Kewaygooshkum,  a 
sedate  and  respectable  man,  who,  a  year  afterwards,  played  an  im- 
portant part  at  the  treaty  of  Chicago. 

The  grand  point  of  departure  and  leave-taking,  was  at  Grose 
Point,  at  the  foot  of  Lake  St.  Clair,  a  spot  nine  miles  distant.  For 
this  point,  horses  and  carriages,  with  the  numerous  friends  of 
Gov.  Cass,  pushed  forward  at  an  early  hour ;  and  there  was  as 
much  enthusiasm  manifested,  by  aU  classes,  as  if  a  new  world  was 
about  to  be  discovered.  I  had  a  strong  wish  to  witness  the  mode 
of  canoe  travelling,  and,  declining  an  opportunity  to  join  the  caval- 
cade by  laad,  took  my  seat  beside  Major  Forsyth  in  the  Governor's 
canoe.  The  Canadians  immediately  struck  up  one  of  their  ani- 
mating canoe  songs,  the  military  escort  at  the  same  moment  dis- 
played its  flag  and  left  the  shore,  and  the  auxiliary  Indians,  fired 
with  the  animation  of  the  scene,  handled  their  paddles  briskly, 
and  shot  their  canoe  rapidly  by  us.  A  boat-race  was  the  con- 
sequence. The  Indians  at  first  kept  their  advantage,  but  the 
firmer  and  more  enduring  nerves  of  the  Canadians  soon  began 
to  tell  on  our  speed,  and  as  we  finally  passed  them,  the  Indians 
gracefully  yielded  the  contest.  We  were  two  hours  in  going  to 
Grose  Point,  with  the  wind  slightly  ahead. 

The  banks  of  the  Eiver  Detroit  present  continuous  settlements, 
in  which  the  appearance  of  large  old  orchards  and  windmills, 
among  farm-houses  and  smooth  cultivated  fields,  reminds  the 
visitor  that  the  country  has  been  long  settled.  And  he  will  not 
be  long  in  observing,  by  the  peculiarity  of  architecture,  dress, 
manners,  and  language,  that  the  basis  of  the  population  is  French. 
We  found  our  land  party  had  preceded  us,  and  as  the  winds  were 
adverse,  we  encamped  in  linen  tents  along  the  open  shore.  The 
next  day  the  wind  increased,  blowing  quite  a  gale  down  the  Lake. 
I  busied  myself  by  making  some  meteorological  and  geological 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  49 

observations.  Tlie  shores  of  Lake  St.  Clair  are  ibrmcd  of  a  fertile 
alluvium,  resting  on  drift.  There  are  some  heavy  boulders  of 
primitive  rock  resting  on  this,  which  denote  a  vast  held  of  ibrmer 
drift  action  around  the  shores  of  these  lakes. 

The  wind  abated  about  eleven  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the 
26th,  when  the  men  commenced  loading  the  canoes.  It  was 
twelve  before  we  embarked.  The  mode  of  their  embarkation  >is 
peculiar.  The  canoes,  Avhen  laden,  are  hauled  out  in  deep  water ; 
the  men  then  catch  up  the  sitters  on  their  backs,  and  deposit  tliem 
in  their  respective  seats;  when  this  was  done,  they  struck  up  one 
of  their  animated  songs,  and  we  glided  over  the  smooth  surface 
of  the  lake  with  rapidity,  holding  our  course  parallel  with  its 
shores,  generally,  until  reaching  a  prominent  point  of  land  near 
Huron  River.* 

From  Point  Huron  we  crossed  the  lake,  to  reach  the  central  mouth 
of  the  St.  Clair  River,  thereby  saving  a  tedious  circuit ;  by  the  time 
we  had  half  accomplished  the  transit,  we  encountered  a  head  wind, 
which  put'  the  strength  of  the  men  severely  to  the  test,  and  re- 
tarded our  reaching  the  mouth  of  the  river  till  dark.  The  River 
St.  Clair  has  several  mouths,  which  branch  off  above  through  a 
broad  delta,  creating  large  islands.  These  channels  discharge  a 
vast  amount  of  argillaceous  drift  and  mud,  which  has  so  far  filled 
up  the  lake  itself,  that  there  is  anchorage,  I  believe,  in  every  part 
of  it;  and  the  principal  ship  channel  is  scooped,  by  the  force  of 
the  current,  out  of  a  very  compact  blue  clay — the  geological  resi- 
duum of  ancient  formations  of  clay-slates  in  the  upper  country. 

The  shores  are  often  but  a  few  inches  above,  and  often  a  few 
inches  heloiv  the  surface,  where  they  give  origin  to  a  growth  of 
reeds,  flags,  and  other  aquatic  plants,  which  remind  tlil  traveller 
of  similar  productions  at  the  Balize  of  the  Mississippi.  In  this 
nilotic  region,  myriads  of  water-fowls  find  a  favorite  resort.  To 
us,  however,  these  jets  of  alluvial  formation,  bearing  high  grass 
and  rushes  were  as  so  many  friendly  arms  stretched  out  to  shelter 
us  from  the  wind ;  but  they  were  found  to  be  so  low  and  wet,  that 
we  were  compelled  to  urge  our  way  through  them,  in  search  of  a 

*  Now  called  Clinton  River,  a  change  made  by  Act  of  Legislature,  the  frequent 
repetition  of  this  name  by  the  French  having  been  found  inconvenient  in  the  lake 
geography.    1853. 

4 


50  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

dry  encampment,  till  within  two  hours  of  midnight.  This  brought 
us  to  the  upper  end  of  Lawson's  Island,  where  we  arrived,  wet, 
weary,  and  cold.  We  had  advanced  about  twenty-five  miles,  having 
been  ten  hours,  in  a  cramped  posture,  in  our  canoes.  This  initial 
day's  journey  was  calculated  to  take  away  the  poetry  of  travel 
from  the  amateurs  of  our  party,  and  to  let  us  all  know,  that  there 
were  toils  in  our  way  that  required  to  be  conquered. 

We  slept  little  this  night,  and  waited  for  daylight  and  sunrise, 
as  if  the  blessed  luminary  would  have  an  animating  effect  upon 
our  actual  condition.  We  again  embarked  at  seven  o'clock  in 
the  morning.  We  now  stowed  away  things  with  more  handiness 
than  at  the  first  embarkation,  and  we  began,  ourselves,  to  feel  a 
little  more  at  home  in  this  species  of  voyaging. 

We  had  three  canoes  in  our  little  squadron  provided  with 
masts  and  sails,  and  a  small  United  States  pennant  to  each,  so 
that  the  brigade,  when  in  motion,  and  led,  as  it  usually  was,  by 
the  chanting  canoe-men,  had  a  formidable  and  animated  appear- 
ance. 

The  Eiver  St.  Clair  is  a  broad  and  noble  stream,  and  impressed 
us  as  justifying  the  highest  encomiums  bestowed  on  it  by  Charle- 
voix, La  Hontan,  and  otlier  early  French  travellers.  We  ascended 
it  thirty  miles,  which  brought  us  to  Fort  Gratiot,  at  the  foot  of 
the  rapid  which  marks  the  outlet  of  Lake  Huron.  In  this  dis- 
tance, we  passed,  at  separate  places,  nine  vessels  at  anchor,  being 
detained  by  head  winds,  and  encountered  several  Chippewa  and 
Ottowa  canoes,  each  of  which  were  generally  occupied  by  a  single 
family,  with  their  females,  blankets,  guns,  fishing  apparatus,  and 
dogs.     They  evinced  the  most  friendly  disposition. 

In  lanaing  at  Oak  Point,*  I  observed  a  green  snake  (coluber 
aestivus)  in  the  act  of  swallowing  a  frog,  which  he  had  succeeded 
in  taking  down,  except  the  extremity  of  its  hind  legs.  A  blow 
was  sufficient  to  relieve  the  frog,  which  still  had  sufficient  anima- 
tion to  hop  towards  the  river.  The  snake  I  made  to  pay  the  for- 
feit of  his  life. 

At  Fort  Gratiot,  we  were  received  by  Major  Cummins,  U.  S.  A., 
who  occupied  the  post  with  sixty  men.  The  expedition  was  re- 
ceived with  a  salute,  which  is  due  to  the  Governor  of  a  Territory. 

*  Now  the  site  of  Algonac. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  51 

Two  soldiers  wlio  were  sickly,  Averc  here  returned,  and  five  able- 
bodied  men  received  to  supply  their  places,  thus  increasing  the 
aggregate  of  the  party  to  forty  persons.* 

The  banks  of  the  River  St.  Clair  are  wholly  alluvial  or  diluvial. 
There  is  not  a  particle  of  rock  in  place.  One  idea  presses  itself 
prominently  to  notice,  in  reflecting  on  the  formation  of  the  country. 
It  is  the  vast  quantum  of  clay,  mixed  drift,  and  boulders,  which 
have  evidently  been  propelled,  by  ancient  forces,  down  these 
straits,  and  afterwards  arranged  themselves  according  to  affinities, 
or  gravitation.  At  the  precipitous  banks  between  the  inlet  of 
Black  River  and  Fort  Gratiot,  this  action  has  been  so  clearly 
within  the  erratic  block  period  of  De  la  Buck,  that  it  has  imbedded 
prostrate  forest-trees,  and  even  freshwater  shells,  beneath  the 
heavy  stratum  of  sand,  resting  immediately  upon  the  fundamental 
clay  beds,  upon  which  the  city  of  Detroit,  and  indeed  the  alluvions 
of  the  entire  straits  rest.f  We  again  encountered  at  this  place, 
blocks  of  the  primitive  or  crystalline  boulders,  which  were  first 
seen  at  Grosse  Point.  There  are  some  traces  of  iron  sand  along 
the  shore  of  this  river,  the  only  mineral  body,  indeed,  which  has 
thus  rewarded  my  examinations. 

We  left  our  encampment,  at  Fort  Gratiot,  at  eight  o'clock  next 
morning.  A  strong  and  deep  rapid  is  immediately  encountered, 
up  which,  however,  vessels  having  a  good  wind  find  no  difficulty 
in  making  their  way.  On  surmounting  this,  we  found  ourselves 
on  the  level  of  Lake  Huron.  The  lake  here  bursts  upon  the 
view  in  one  of  those  magnificent  landscapes  which  are  peculiar 
to  this  region.  Nature  has  everywhere  operated  on  the  grandest 
scale.  Wide  ocean  expanses  and  long  lines  of  shore  spread 
before  the  eye,  which  gazes  admiringly  on  the  broad  and  often 
brilliant  horizon,  and  then  turns,  for  something  to  rest  on,  alono- 
the  shore.  Long  ridges  of  gravel,  sand,  and  boulders,  meet  it 
here.  Beyond  and  above  this  storm-battered  beach,  are  fringes 
of  woods,  or  banks  of  clay.  The  monotony  of  travelling  by  un- 
varied scenes  is  relieved  by  an  occasional  song  of  the  boatmen, 

*  To  cover  any  arrangements  of  this  kind,  general  orders  had  been  issued  by 
Gen.  Macomjp,  to  the  commandants  of  the  western  posts. 

f  In  the  artesian  borings  for  water,  undertaken  by  Mr.  Lucius  Lyon,  at  Detroit, 
in  1833,  these  clay  beds  were  found  to  be  one  hundred  and  fifteen  feet  deep. — Vide 
Historical  and  Scientific  Sketches  of  Michigan,  p.  177. 


52  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

or  an  occasional  landing — by  cbanges  of  forest-trees — of  the  wind, 
or  flights  of  the  gull,  duck,  plover,  and  other  birds;  but  the  travel- 
ler, is  apt,  before  evening  comes,  to  fancy  himself  very  much  in 
the  position  of  a  piece  of  merchandise  which  is  transported  from 
place  to  place.  Glad  were  we  when  night  approached,  and  the 
order  to  encamp  was  heard.  It  was  estimated  we  had  advanced 
thirty-five  miles. 

On  passing  along  the  Huron  coast  about  fifteen  miles,  a  bank 
of  dark  clay  is  encountered,  which  has  an  elevation  of  thirty  or 
forty  feet,  and  extends  six  or  eight  miles.  We  soon  after  came 
to  the  White  Kock — an  enormous  detached  mass,  or  boulder  of 
transition,*  or  semi-crystalline  limestone.  It  is  a  noted  landmark 
for  voyageurs  and  travellers,  and  an  equally  celebrated  place  of 
offerings  by  the  Indians.  I  requested  to  be  landed  on  it,  and 
detached  some  specimens.  Geologically,  it  is  a  member  of  the 
erratic  block  group,  and  we  must  look  for  its  parent  bed  at  a 
more  westerly  point.  There  is  no  formation  of  limestone,  in  this 
quarter,  to  which  it  can  be  referred.  It  bears  marks  of  attrition, 
which  shows  .that  it  has  been  rubbed  against  other  hard  bodies ; 
and  if  transported  down  the  lake  on  ice,  it  is  necessary  to  consi- 
der these  marks  as  pre-existing  at  the  era  of  its  removal. 

On  embarking  in  the  morning,  the  wind  was  slightly  ahead, 
which  continued  during  the  forenoon,  changing  in  the  after-part 
of  the  day,  so  that  we  were  able  to  hoist  sail.  About  four  o'clock 
the  weather  became  cloudy  and  hazy,  the  wind  increasing,  at 
the  same  time  attended  with  thunder  and  lightning.  A  storm 
was  rapidly  gathering,  and  the  lake  became  so  much  agitated 
that  we  immediately  effected  a  landing,  which  was  not  done  with- 
out some  difl&culty,  on  a  shallow  and  dangerous  shore,  thickly 
strewn  with  boulders.  We  pitched  our  tents  on  a  small  penin- 
sula, or  narrow  neck  of  land,  covered  with  beautiful  forest-trees, 
which  was  nearly  separated  from  the  main  shore.  Shortly  after 
our  arrival  a  vessel  hove  in  sight,  and  anchored  on  the  same 
dangerous  lee  shore.  We  were  in  momently  expectation  of  her 
being  driven  from  her  moorings,  but  were  happily  relieved,  the 
next  morning,  to  observe  that  she  had  rode  out  the  storm. 

*  This  term  has  disappeared  from  the  geological  vocabulary  under  the  researches 
of  Sir  Roderick  J.  Murchisou,  Mr.  Lyell,  and  other  distinguished  generalizers. 


NARRATIVE  OF  TUE  EXPEDITION.  53 

The  lake  was  still  too  rough  on  the  following  day,  and  the 
wind  too  high,  to  permit  our  embarking.  We  made  an  excursion 
inland.  The  country  proved  low,  undulatory,  and  swampy.  The 
forest  consisted  of  hemlock,  birch,  ash,  oak,  and  maple,  with 
several  species  of  mosses,  which  gave  it  a  cold,  bleak  character. 
The  margin  of  the  forest  was  skirted  with  the  bulrush,  briza 
canadensis,  and  other  aquatic  plants.  The  whole  day  passed,  a 
night,  and  another  day,  with  nothing  but  the  loud  sounding  lake 
roar  in  our  ears.  A  heavy  bed  of  the  erratic  block  formation 
commences  at  this  point,  and  contiimes  to  Point  aux  Barcj^ues, 
the  eastern  cape  of  Saganaw  Bay. 

In  one  of  these  displaced  masses — a  boulder  of  mica  slate,  I 
discovered  well-defined  crystals  of  staurotide.  This  formed  my 
second  mineralogical  acquisition,*  There  were,  also,  some 
striking  water- worn  masses  of  granitical  and  hornblende  porphyry. 

It  was  the  1st  of  June  before  we  could  leave  the  spot  where 
we  had  been  confined.  We  embarked  at  six  o'clock,  the  lake 
being  sufficiently  pacific,  though  not  yet  settled.  But  after  pro- 
ceeding about  a  league,  it  again  became  agitated,  and  drove  ns 
ashore,  where  we  lay  without  encamping.  Kewaygushkum  was 
requested  to  send  some  of  his  young  men  in  quest  of  game. 
The  soldiers  and  engagees  also  formed  fishing  parties,  at  a  con- 
tiguous river  ;  but  about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  all  the 
parties  returned  completely  unsuccessful.  There  was  neither 
fish  nor  game  to  be  had.  At  the  same  time  the  agitation  of  the 
lake  ceased,  the  wind  springing  up  from  an  opposite  quarter, 
which  enabled  us  to  hoist  sail.  This  put  every  one  in  a  plea- 
sant humor,  and  we  proceeded  along  the  coast  till  evening,  and 
encamped  on  a  small  sandy  bay,  which  puts  into  the  land,  im- 
mediately beyond  the  promontory  of  Point  aux  Barques— an 
estimated  distance  of  twenty -five  miles  from  our  starting-point  in 
the  morning. 

At  the  distance  of  a  league  before  reaching  this  point,  the  first 

*  In  passing  along  this  coast  in  1824,  au  Indian  picked  up,  in  shallow  water,  a 
small  boulder  imbedding  a  mass  of  native  silver.  Breaking  off  the  most  promi- 
nent mass,  he  still  observed  the  metal  forming  veins  in  the  rock,  and  brought  both 
specimens  to  an  officer  of  the  British  Indian  department  at  Amherst  (Lieut.  Lewis 
S.  Johnson),  who  presented  them  to  me.  This  discovery  is  described  in  the  Annals 
of  the  New  York  Lyceum  of  Natural  History,  vol.  i.  part  8,  page  247. 


54  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

stratum  of  rock,  iyi  sitii^  presents  itself.  It  is  a  gray  friable  sand- 
stone, elevated  from  ten  to  twenty  feet  above  the  water,  but 
attaining  a  greater  heiglit  in  the  approach  to  this  noted  cape. 
This  stratum  of  sandstone  rock,  which  is  of  a  perishable  cha- 
racter, is  exposed  to  receive  the  shock  of  the  waves  of  Lake 
Huron  for  several  hundred  miles  from  the  north  and  west.  It 
exhibits  the  force  and  fury  of  the  lake  action  by  the  numerous 
cavities  which  have  been  worn  into  it,  at  the  water's  edge,  and 
by  the  sub-bays  which  have,  in  some  localities,  been  formed  in 
the  line  of  dark  opposing  cliffs.  It  was  in  one  of  these  sub-bays 
that  we  encamped,  on  a  smooth  sandy  beach,  which  appears  to 
have  been  a  favorite  encamping  ground  of  the  natives.  But  al- 
though we  had  met  several  canoes  of  Chippewas,  on  the  route 
between  Fort  Gratiot  and  this  point,  none  were  found  at  the 
place  of  our  encampment.  Such  of  them  as  we  approached,  on 
the  lake,  were  invariably  in  want  of  food,  and  received  it  with 
evident  marks  of  gratification. 

On  going  inland,  back  from  our  encampment,  we  found  a  suc- 
cession of  arid  ridges  of  sand,  which  had  been  evidently  produced 
by  the  prostrated  sandstone  of  the  coast,  which,  after  comminution 
by  the  waves,  had  been  carried  to  this  position  by  the  winds. 
These  ancient  dunes  and  ridges  were  covered  sparsely  with  pitch 
pines  and  aspen,  and  having  their  surfaces  covered  with  the  uva 
ursi,  pyrola,  and  smaller  shrub-growth  common  to  arenaceous 
soils. 

On  the  day  following,  we  ascended  along  the  eastern  shores  of 
Saganaw  Bay,  a  distance  of  eighteen  miles,  which  brought  us 
to  Point  aux  Chenes.  At  this  place  the  guides  pointed  to  a  group 
of  islands  about  midway  of  the  bay,  for  which  we  steered.  The 
calmness  of  the  weather  favored  the  traverse.  We  reached  and 
landed  on  the  largest  of  the  group,  called  Shawangunk,  by  the 
Indians,  probabl}^  fi-om  its  southernmost  position.  I  found  it  to 
consist  of  a  dark,  compact  limestone,  imbedding  masses  of  chal- 
cedony and  calcareous  spar.  I  also  picked  up  a  detached  mass 
of  argillaceous  oxide  of  iron,  and  some  fragments  of  striped 
horns  tone.  Anxious  to  improve  the  favorable  time  for  effecting 
the  passage,  we  pushed  on  for  the  opposite  western  shore,  which 
was  safely  reached.  We  then  steered  down  the  bay,  skirting  a 
low  sandy  shore  some  twenty  miles  or  more,  till  entering  the 
open  lake,  and  reaching  the  Eiver  aux  Sables.     On  entering  this 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  65 

river,  find  after  having  pitclied  our  camp,  we  were  visited  by  a 
band  of  Chippewa  Indians,  with  friendly  salutations.  It  appeared 
that  the  arrival  of  the  expedition  had  been  anticipated  by  them, 
they  having  themselves  constructed  and  furnished  the  canoes  for 
it,  and  behig  well  acquainted  with  the  official  position,  at  Detroit, 
of  the  leader  of  our  party.  The  principal  Chief,  the  Black  Eagle, 
addressed  a  speech  to  Governor  Cass,  in  which  he  appropriately 
recognized  these  relations,  welcomed  him  to  his  village,  and  re- 
commended the  condition  of  his  people  to  his  notice.  The 
calumet  was  then  smoked  in  the  usual  style  of  Indian  ceremony, 
the  pipe-bearer  beginning  with  persons  of  first  rank,  and  handing 
it  in  the  supposed  order  of  grade,  to  the  lowest  member  of  the 
ofiicial  family.  The  ceremony  was  ended  by  shaking  of  hands. 
All  this  was  done  with  the  ease  and  dignity  of  an  oriental  sheikh. 
^Ye  had  anticipated  savages,  and  savage  manners,  and  armed  our- 
selves to  the  teeth,  pushing  a  point  with  an  army  oflicial  at 
Detroit,  until  we  were  each  provided  with  a  short  rilie.  But  this 
first  formal  council  with  the  sons  of  the  forest,  began  to  open 
our  eyes  to  the  true  character  of  the  Indian  manners  and  diplo- 
macy, in  their  intercourse  with  government  officials. 

The  chiefs,  after  their  departure,  sent  to  our  encampment  a 
present  of  fresh  sturgeon,  a  species  which  is  caught  abundantly 
in  the  aux.  Sables  at  this  time,  for  which  returns  were  made  of 
such  articles  as  were  most  acceptable  to  them.  Being  out  of 
the  Bay,  we  employed  the  following  day  making  advances  along 
the  Huron  coast,  an  estimated  distance  of  forty-eight  miles.  In 
this  distance,  we  passed  Thunder  Bay.  Encamped  on  a  low,  calca- 
reous shore,  bearing  cedar  and  spruce,  which  the  Indians  call 
Sho-shedco-naAv-be-ko-king,  or  Flat  Rock  Point.  A  few  miles 
after  leaving  River  aux  Sables,  the  Highlands  of  Sables  present 
themselves  at  a  short  distance  back  from  the  shore.  This  ridge, 
which  is  a  landmark  for  mariners,  runs  from  southeast  to  north- 
west, and  is  visible  as  far  as  Thunder  Bay.  The  limestone,  which 
is  dark  and  of  an  earthy  fracture,  is  very  much  broken  up  on  the 
shore,  and  contains  various  species  of  organic  remains.  On  cross- 
ing the  Bay,  we  landed  on  an  island  covered  with  debris,  where 
we  observed  one  of  those  imitative,  water- worn,  primitive  boulders, 
resembling  altars,  which  are  frequently  set  up  by  the  Indians  as 
the  places  of  depositing  some  offering,  or  out  of  mere  respect  for 
some  local  god. 


56  NAEEATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

At  six  o'clock  the  next  morning  we  were  again  in  our  canoes, 
assiduously  moving  along  tlie  Huron  coast ;  but,  after  proceeding 
about  a  league,  a  storm  of  wind  and  rain  suddenly  arose,  driving 
us  from  the  lake.  A  few  hours  served  to  restore  its  calmness, 
but  we  had  not  gone  over  a  couple  of  leagues  when  we  were 
again  compelled  by  the  rising  wind  to  take  to  the  shore,  where 
we  were  detained  the  rest  of  the  day,  listening  to  the  capricious 
murmurs  of  the  lake.  This  position  was  directly  opposite  Middle 
Island,  a  noted  anchorage  about  six  miles  distant.  All  night  the 
waves  of  the  lake  were  heard.  The  morning  broke  without 
change.  Lake  Huron  still  evinced  an  angry  aspect,  threatening 
to  renew  the  struggle  of  yesterday.  It  was  concluded  to  send  the 
canoes  forward,  relieved  of  our  weight,  and  proceed  ourselves  on 
foot  along  th-e  beach.  "Walking  on  this  became  difficult  on  those 
parts  of  it  where  the  fossiliferous  and  shelly  limestone  had  been 
broken  up  and  heaped  in  small  fragments.  Among  these,  we 
recognized  specimens  of  the  cornu-ammonis,  and  the  maderpore, 
with  some  other  species.  The  cedars  and  brushy  growth  gene- 
rally stood  so  thick,  and  grew  so  closely  to  this  line  of  debris, 
that  it  was  impracticable  to  take  the  w^oods.  The  toil,  however, 
rewarded  us  with  some  specimens  of  the  organic  forms  imbedded 
in  the  rock,  while  it  enabled  the  topographers  to  secure  the  data 
for  a  very  perfect  map  of  the  coast.  At  ten  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing we  reached  the  east  cape  of  Presque  Isle  Bay,  where  the 
canoes  came  to  take  us  across  to  the  peninsula  of  that  name. 
After  completing  this,  the  men  landed  the  canoes  and  baggage  on 
the  peninsula  side,  and  carried  them  across  the  narrow  sandy  neck 
of  land ;  but,  on  reaching  the  open  lake  beyond  it,  the  wind  was 
found  too  strongly  adverse  to  permit  embarkation.  The  Cana- 
dians have  the  not  inappropriate  term  of  degrade  for  this  species 
of  detention;  we  were  here  foiled,  indeed,  in  our  high  hopes  of 
pushing  ahead,  and  compelled  to  wait  on  the  naked  sands  for 
many  weary  hours.  While  thus  detained,  the  Indians  brought 
in  a  brown  rabbit,*  a  species  of  lake  tortoise,  and  some  pigeons, 
being  their    only  fruits  of  success  in  hunting,  except  a  single 

•  This  is  pi'esumed  to  be  a  variety  of  the  American  Hare,  and  may  be  distin- 
guished by  the  following  characters:  Body  eighteen  inches  long;  color  of  the  hair 
grayish-brown  on  the  back,  grayish-white  beneath.  Neck  and  body  rusty  and  cene- 
rous.     Legs  pale  rust  color.     Tail  short,  brown  above,  white  beneath.     Hind  legs 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  57 

grouse,  or  partridge,  "vvhicli  bad  crowned  their  efforts  since  leav- 
ing Detroit.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind,  however,  that  there  has 
been  very  little  opportunity  for  hunting,  that  we  have  had 
abundant  supplies,  and  that  our  mode  of  travelling  is  such  as  to 
alarm  all  game  within  sound  of  our  track.  They  have,  indeed, 
brought  reports  at  several  points  of  seeing  the  footprints  of  the 
deer  and  black  bear,  but  they  have  not  had  the  leisure  to  pursue 
them. 

At  five  o'clock,  the  wind  abated  so  much  as  to  permit  embark- 
ation, and  our  canoe-men  hastened  forward  with  the  intention  of 
travelling  all  night,  but  at  eleven  o'clock  it  freshened  to  such  a 
degree,  and  at  the  same  time  became  so  intensely  dark,  that  we 
were  compelled  to  land  and  encamp.  Neither  the  topography, 
mineralogy,  or  any  branch  of  the  physical  geography  of  a  country 
can  be  ascertained  without  minute  examination ;  and  this  consti- 
tutes, indeed,  the  object  of  the  investigations,  which  have  been, 
thus  far,  so  toilsomely  pursued  against  adverse  winds  since  the 
commencement  of  the  expedition ;  but  they  have  disclosed  facts 
which  reveal  the  true  structure  and  physical  history  of  this  bleak, 
ungenial  coast ;  this  hope  serves,  every  day,  to  give  new  impetus 
to  the  voyage. 

Another  day  along  the  Iluron  coast.  It  was  now  the  6th  of 
June.  The  voyageurs  began  now  to  manifest  great  anxiety  to 
reach  Michilimackinac,  and  had  their  canoes  in  the  water  at  a 
very  early  hour.  We  all  participated  in  this  feeling,  and  saw  with 
pleasure  the  long  lines  of  sandy  shores,  strewed  with  boulders  and 
pebbles,  that  were  swiftly  passed.  We  had  traced  about  forty 
miles  of  the  coast  when  we  reached  the  foot  of  Bois  Blanc  Island, 
and  pushed  over  the  intervening  'arm  of  the  lake  to  get  its  south 
or  lee  shore.  This  was  a  labor  of  hazard,  as  the  wind  was  di- 
rectly ahead,  and  drove  the  waves  into  the  canoes.  When  accom- 
plished, we  had  the  shelter  of  this  island  for  twelve  miles,  till 
reaching  its  southwest  part.  We  then  passed,  due  north,  be- 
tween it  and  Isle  Eonde,  which  brought  the  wind  again  ahead. 
But  the  men  had  not  kept  this  course  long,  when  Michilimackinac, 
with  its  picturesque  and  imposing  features,  burst  upon  our  view. 

longest,  and  callous  a  short  distance  from  the  paws  up.  Ears  tipped  with  black. 
Covering  of  the  body  rusty  fur,  beneath  long  coarse  hair.  Probable  weight  sis 
pounds. 


58  XAREATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION, 

Nothing  can  present  a  more  refreshing  and  inspiring  landscape. 
From  that  moment  the  voyafjeiifs  appeared  to  disregard  the  wind. 
Striking  into  the  water  with  bolder  paddles,  and  opening  one  of 
their  animating  boat-songs,  all  thought  of  past  toils  was  forgot- 
ten, and,  urged  forward  with  a  new  impetus,  we  entered  the  hand- 
some little  crescent-shaped  harbor  at  four  o'clock.  The  expedition 
w^as  received  with  a  salute  from  the  fort,  in  command  of  Capt.  B.  K. 
Pierce,  U.  S.  A.,-  in  compliment  to  the  Governor  of  the  Territory, 
and  we  lauded  amid  the  congratulations  of  the  citizens,  w^ho 
pressed  forward  to  welcome  us. 

Thus  terminated  the  first  part  of  our  journey,  after  a  tedious 
voyage  of  fourteen  days,  in  which  we  had  encountered  a  series 
of  almost  continued  head-winds  and  foul  weather.  The  distance  by 
ship  is  usually  estimated  at  three  hundred  miles ;  by  following  the 
indentations  of  the  coast,  and  entering  Saganaw  Bay,  we  found  it 
three  hundred  and  sixty.f  AVe  found  the  Huron  coast,  to  the 
line  of  which  our  observations  were  limited,  bearing,  in  its  vege- 
tation, indubitable  marks  of  its  exposure  to  the  northern  wunds. 
As  a  section  of  the  lake  geology,  it  is  simple  and  instructive,  ex- 
hibiting strata  of  sandstone  and  non-crystalline  and  fossiliferous 
limestone  in  horizontal  positions,  without  the  slightest  disturb- 
ance in  their  dip  or  inclinations.  Its  mineralogy  is  scanty,  being 
nearly  confined,  so  far  as  observed,  to  some  common  silicious 
minerals,  and  traces  of  argillaceous  and  magnetic  oxides  of  iron. 
The  erratic  block-stratum  or  drift,  is  remarkable,  and  prepares 
the  mind  for  the  still  heavier  accumulations  of  this  kind  which 
are  perceived  to  be  spread  over  the  northern  latitudes.:}: 

*  Of  this  officer,  who  was  a  brother  of  Franklin  Piei-ce,  President  of  the  United 
States,  Gardner's  Army  Dictionary  gives  the  following  notice  :  Benjamin  K.  Pierce 
(N.  H.),  First  Lieutenant  Third  Artillery,  March,  1812;  Adjutant,  1813;  Captain, 
October,  1813 ;  retained  May  15,  in  artillery ;  in  Fourth  Artillery,  May  21  ;  Majorten 
years  fa.  service,  Oct.  1,  1823;  Major  First  Artillery,  June  11,  1836  (Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Eighth  Infantry,  July  7,  1838,  declined) ;  Brevet  Lieutenaut-Colonel  "for  dis- 
tinguished service  in  affair  at  Fort  Drane,"  Aug.  21,  1836  (Oct.  1836),  in  which  he 
commanded :  Colonel  Regular  Creek  Mounted  Volunteers,  in  Florida  War,  Oct.  1836  ; 
Lieutenant-Colonel  First  Artillery,  jNIarch  19, 1842.  Died  April  1, 1850,  at  New  York. 

-}-  Among  the  erratic  block  or  drift  stratum,  I  observed  on  the  south  Huron  coast 
singularly  striking,  round  fragments  of  white  quartz,  imbedding  red  fragments  of 
coarse  jasper ;  a  rock,  which  I  afterwards  found  in  places  on  the  south  end  of  Sugar 
Island,  in  St.  Mary's  Straits,  which  lies  directly  north  of  the  general  position,  and 
may  serve  as  a  proof  of  the  course  of  the  drift. 

%   Vide  Geo.  Report,  Appendix. 


NARRATIVE  OF  TUE  EXPEDITION.  59 


CHAPTER    III. 

« 

Description  of  Mieliilimackinac  —  Prominent  scenery — Geology  —  Arched  Rock — 
Sugarloaf  Rock  —  History  —  Statistics  —  Mineralogy  —  Skull  Cave  —  Manners — 
Its  fish,  agriculture,  moral  wants — Ingenious  manufactures  of  the  Indians— Fur 
trade — Etymology  of  the  word — Antique  bones  disclosed  in  the  interior  of  the 
island. 

Nothing  can  exceed  the  beauty  of  this  islahd.  It  is  a  mass  of 
calcareous  rock,  rising  from  the  bed  of  Lake  Huron,  and  reaching 
an  elevation  of  more  than  three  hundred  feet  above  the  water. 
The  waters  around  are  purity  itself.  Some  of  its  cliffs  shoot  up 
perpendicularly,  and  tower  in  pinnacles  like  ruinous  Gothic 
steeples.  It  is  cavernous  in  some  places  ;  and  in  tliese  caverns, 
the  ancient  Indians,  like  those  of  India,  have  placed  their  dead. 
Portions  of  the  beach  are  level,  and  adapted  to  landing  from 
boats  and  canoes.  The  harbor,  at  its  south  end,  is  a  little  gem. 
Vessels  anchor  in  it,  and  find  good  holding.  The  little  old- 
fashioned  French  town  nestles  around  it  in  a  very  primitive 
style.  The  fort  frowns  above  it,  like  another  Alhambra,  its 
white  walls  gleaming  in  the  sun.  The  whole  area  of  the  island 
is  one  labyrinth  of  curious  little  glens  and  valleys.  Old  green 
fields  appear,  in  some  spots,  which  have  been  formerly  cul- 
tivated by  the  Indians.  In  some  of  these  there  are  circles  of 
gathered-up  stones,  as  if  the  Druids  themselves  had  dwelt  here. 
The  soil,  though  rough,  is  fertile,  being  the  comminuted  materials 
of  broken-down  limestones.  The  island  was  formerly  covered 
with  a  dense  growth  of  rock-maples,  oaks,  ironwood,  and  other 
hard-wood  species,  and  there  are  still  parts  of  this  ancient  forest 
left,  but  all  the  southern  limits  of  it  exhibit  a  young  growth. 
There  are  walks  and  winding  f  aths  among  its  little  hills,  and  pre- 
cipices of  the  most  romantic  character.  And  whenever  the  visitor 
gets  on  eminences  overlooking  the  lake,  he  is  transported  with 


60  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION". 

sublime  views  of  a  most  illimitable  and  magnificent  water  pros- 
pect. If  tlie  poetic  muses  are  ever  to  bave  a  new  Parnassus  in 
America,  tbey  should  inevitably  fix  on  Micbilimackinac.  Hygeia, 
too,  sbould  place  her  temple  here,  for  it  bas  one  of  the  purest, 
driest,  clearest,  and  most  healthful  atmospheres. 

We  remained  encamped  upon  this  lovely  island  six  days,  while 
awaiting  the  arrival  of  supplies  and  provisions  for  the  journey, 
or  their  being  prepared  for  transportation  by  hand  over  the 
northern  portages.  Meats,  bread,  Indian  corn,  and  flour,  had  to 
be  put  in  kegs,  or  stout  linen  bags. 

The  traders  and  old  citizens  said  so  much  about  the  difficulties 
and  toils  of  these  northern  portages  that  we  did  not  know  but 
what  we,  ourselves,  were  to  be  put  in  bags ;  but  we  escaped  that 
process.  This  delay  gave  us  the  opportunity  of  more  closely 
examining  the  island.  It  is  about  three  and  a  half  miles  long,  two 
in  its  greatest  width,  and  nine  in  circumference.  The  site  of  Fort 
Holmes,  the  apex,  is  three  hundred  and  twelve  feet  above  the 
lake.  The  eastern  margin  consists  of  precipitous  cliffs,  which, 
in  many  places,  overhang  the  w^ater,  and  furnish  a  picturesque 
rocky-fringe,  as  it  were,  to  the  .elevated  plain.  The  whole  rock 
formation  is  calcareous.  It  exhibits  the  effects  of  a  powerful  di- 
luvial action  at  early  periods,  as  well  as  the  continued  influence 
of  elemental  action,  still  at  work.  Large  portions  of  the  cliffs 
have  been  precipitated  upon  the  beach,  where  the  process  of  de- 
gradation has  been  carried  on  by  the  waves.  A  most  striking 
instance  of  sucli  precipitations  is  to  be  witnessed  at  the  eastern 
cliff",  called  Robinson's  Folly,  wbich  fell,  by  its  own  gravitation, 
within  the  period  of  tradition.  The  formation,  at  this  point,  for- 
merly overhung  the  beach,  commanding  a  fine  view  of  the  lake 
and  islands  in  all  directions,  in  consequence  of  which  it  was  oc- 
cupied with  a  summer-house,  by  the  officers  of  the  British  garri- 
son, after  the  abandonment  of  the  old  peninsular  fort,  about  1780. 

The  miueralogical  features  of  the  island  are  not  without  inte- 
rest. I  examined  the  large  fragments  of  debris,  which  are  still 
prominent,  and  which  exhibit  comparatively  fresh  fractures. 
The  rock  contains  a  portion  of  sparry  matter,  which  is  arranged 
in  reticuli:T3,  filled  with  white  cai-b§liate  of  lime,  in  such  a  state 
of  loose  disintegration  that  the  weather  soon  converts  it  to  the 
condition  of    agaric  mineral.      These   reticulae   are   commonly 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  61 

in  the  slate  of  calcspar,  crystallized  in  minute  crystals.  The  stra- 
tum on  which  this  loose  formation  rests  is  compact  and  firm, 
and  agrees  in  structure  with  the  encrinal  limestone  of  Drummond 
Island  and  the  Manitouline  chain.  But  the  vesicular  stratum, 
which  may  be  one  hundred  and  ten  or  tAventy  feet  thick,  has  been 
deposited  in  such  a  condition  tliat  it  has  not  had,  in  some  local- 
ities, firmness  enough  permanentl}^  to  sustain  itself.  The  conse- 
quence is,  that  the  table-land  has  caved  in,  and  exhibits  singular 
depressions,  or  grass-covered,  cup-shaped  cavities,  which  have  no 
visible  outlet  for  the  rain-water  that  falls  in  them,  unless  it  per- 
colates through  the  shelly  strata.  Portions  of  it,  subject  to  this 
structure,  have  been  pressed  off,  during  changing  seasons,  by 
frosts,  and  carried  away  by  rains,  creating  that  castellated  appear- 
ance of  pinnacles,  which  gives  so  much  peculiarity  to  the  rocky 
outlines  of  the  island. 

The  ARCHED  ROCK  is  an  isolated  mass  of  self-sustaining  rock, 
on  the  eastern  facade  of  cliffs ;  it  offers  one  of  those  coincidences  of 
geological  degradation  in  which  the  firmer  texture  of  the  silicious 
and  calcareous  portions  of  it  have,  thus  far,  resisted  decomposi- 
tion. Its  explanation,  is,  however,  simple :  The  apex  of  this 
geological  monument  is  on  a  level,  or  nearly  so,  with  the  Fort 
Holmes  summit.  While  the  diluvial  action,  of  Avhich  the  whole 
island  gives  striking  proofs,  carried  away  the  rest  of  the  reticu- 
lated or  magnesian  limestone,  this  singular  point,  having  a  firmer 
texture,  resisted  its  power,  and  remains  to  tell  the  visitor  who 
gazes  at  it,  that  waters  have  once  held  dominion  over  the  highest 
part  of  the  island. 

Before  dismissing  the  subject  of  the  geological  phenomena  of 
this  island,  it  may  be  observed  that  it  is  covered  Avith  the  erratic 
block  or  drift  stratum.  Primitive  or  crystalline  pebbles  and 
boulders  are  found,  but  not  plentifull}^,  on  the  surface.  They  are 
observed,  however,  on  the  highest  summit,  and  upon  the  lower 
plain ;  one  of  the  best  localities  of  these  boulders,  exists  on  the 
depressed  ground,  leading  north,  in  the  approach  to  Dousman's 
Farm,  where  there  is  a  remarkable  accumulation  of  blocks  of 
granite  and  hornblende  drift  boulders.  The  principal  drift  of  the 
island  consists  of  smooth,  small,  calcareous  pebbles,  and,  at  deeper 
positions,  angular  fragments  of  limestone.  Sandstone  boulders 
are  not  rare.     Over  the  plain  leading   from  the  fort  north  by 


62  NAERATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITIOISr. 

way  of  the  Skull  Rock,  are  spread  extensive  beds  of  finely  com- 
minuted calcareous  gravel,  the  particles  of  which  often  not  ex- 
ceeding the  size  of  a  buck-shot,  which  makes  one  of  the  most 
solid  and  compact  natural  macadamized  roads  of  which  it  is 
possible  to  conceive.  Carriage  wheels  on  it  run  as  smoothly, 
but  far  more  solid,  than  they  could  over  a  plank  floor.  This 
formation  appears  to  be  the  diluvial  residuum  or  ultimate  wash, 
which  arranged  itself  agreeably  to  the  laws  of  its  own  gravitation, 
on  the  recession  of  the  watery  element,  to  which  its  comminution 
is  clearly  due.  It  would  be  worth  transportation,  in  boxes,  for 
gravelling  ornamental  garden-walks.  The  soil  of  the  island  is 
highly  charged  with  the  calcareous  element,  and,  however  barren 
in  appearance,  is  favorable  to  vegetation.  Potatoes  have  been 
known  to  be  raised  in  pure  beds  of  small  limestone  pebbles, 
where  the  seed  potatoes  had  been  merely  covered  in  a  slight  way, 
to  shield  them  from  the  sun,  until  they  had  taken  root. 

The  historical  reminiscences  connected  with  this  island  are  of 
an  interesting  character.  It  appears  from  concurrent  testimony ^ 
that  the  old  town  on  the  peninsula  was  settled  about  1671,*  which 
was  seven  years  before  the  building  of  Fort  Niagara.  In  that 
year.  Father  Marquette,  a  French  missionary,  prevailed  on  a  party 
of  Hurons  to  locate  themselves  at  that  spot,  and  it  was  therefore 
the  first  point  of  settlement  made  northwest  of  Fort  Frontenac,  on 
Lake  Ontario.  It  was  probably  first  garrisoned  by  La  Salle,  in 
1678,  and  continued  to  be  the  seat  of  the  fur  trade,  and  in  many 
respects,  the  metropolis  of  the  extreme  northwest,  during  the 
whole  period  of  French  domination  in  the  Canadas.  After  the 
fall  of  Quebec,  in  1759,  it  passed  by  treaty  to  the  British  govern- 
ment, but  much  against  the  wishes  of  the  Indian  tribes,  who 
retained  a  strong  partiality  for  their  early  friends,  the  French. 
Pontiac  arose  at  this  time,  to  dispute  the  English  authority  in  the 
northwest,  and  with  confederates  projected  a  series  of  bold 
attacks  upon  the  forts  extending  from  the  Ohio  to  this  post. 
Most  of  these  were  successful,  but  he  was  defeated  at  Detroit, 
where  he  commanded  in  person,  after  a  series  of  extraordinary 

*  Neither  Fort  Niagara  uor  Fort  Ponchartrain  (at  the  present  site  of  Detroit)  were 
then  in  existence.  The  foundation  of  the  former  was  laid  by  La  Salle,  in  1678;  the 
latter  had  not  been  erected  when  La  Hontan  passed  through  the  country,  in  1688. — 
Herriofs  Travels  throvgh  Ca?iada,  p.  19G. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  63 

movements.  While  he  was  pressing  the  siege  of  the  garrison,  he 
enjoined  neutrality  upon  the  French  inhabitants,  who  were  never- 
theless called  on  to  furnish  cattle  and  corn  for  the  subsistence  of 
his  warriors.  It  is  remarked  on  good  authority  that,  for  these 
supplies,  he  issued  evidences  of  debt.  When  General  Bradstreet 
marched  to  the  relief  of  the  fort,  with  an  army  of  three  thousand 
men,  the  spirit  and  laconic  temper  of  the  warrior  -were  at  the 
same  time  evinced.  He  sent  a  deputation  of  chiefs  to  meet  the 
herald  of  the  British  general,  at  Maumee,  with  the  laconic  and 
symbolic  message  :  "  I  stand  in  the  path." 

The  execution  of  the  plan  of  attack  on  Old  Fort  Mackinac  ap- 
pears to  have  been  intrusted  to  Minnawanna,  a  Chippewa  chief,  who, 
in  addition  to  his  own  people,  was  aided  by  the  Sacs.  The  Ottowas 
afterwards  expressed  displeasure  in  not  having  been  admitted  to  a 
participation  in  the  attack.  The  plan  was  ingeniously  laid.  The 
king's  birthday,  the  4th  of  June  (1763),  having  arrived,  the  Chip- 
pewas  and  Sacs  turned  out  to  play,  for  a  high  wager,  at  ball. 
Many  of  the  garrison,  and  the  commanding  officer  himself,  came 
out  to  witness  the  sport ;  and  there  was  such  a  feeling  of  secu- 
rity that  the  gates  of  the  fort  were  left  open.  To  put  the  troops 
more  off  their  guard,  the  ball  had  been  thrown  over  the  picket, 
and  when  once  there,  it  was  natural  that  it  should  be  followed  by 
the  opposite  parties,  heated  with  the  contest  and  eager  for  victory. 
But  this  artifice  was  the  accomplishment  of  the  plan.  The  war- 
whoop  was  immediately  sounded,  and  an  indiscriminate  slaughter 
commenced.  A  few  moments  of  intense  anxiety  ensued.  They  were 
passed  by  the  officers  eagerly  listening  for  the  roll  of  the  drum.  But 
they  were  passed  in  disappointment.  There  was  no  call  of  this 
kind  to  concentrate  resistance.  Panic  and  slaughter  raged  in 
their  most  fearful  forms.  None  were  spared  who  were  deemed 
friendly  to  the  English  interest  but  such  as  were  effectually 
secreted.  Some  of  the  soldiers  who  escaped  the  first  onset,  were 
incarcerated  in  a  room,  where  they  were  sacrificed  to  glut  the 
vengeance  of  a  chief,  who  did  not  arrive  till  the  princij)al  work 
of  slaughter  had  been  accomplished. 

This  event  sealed  the  fate  of  the  old  fort  and  the  town  on  the 
peninsula.  The  British  afterwards  took  possession  of  the  island, 
which  had  served  to  give  name  to  the  peninsular  fort.  The  town 
was  gradually  removed,  by  pulling  down  the  buildings,  and 
transporting  the  timber  to  the  island,  till  there  was  not  a  build- 


64  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION, 

ing  or  fixture  left ;  and  tlie  site  is  now  as  silent  and  deserted  as 
if  it  had  never  been  the  scene  of  an  active  resident  population. 

The  Island  of  Michiliraackinac  appears  to  have  been  occupied 
first  as  a  military  position  by  the  British,  about  1780,  sa}^  some 
seven  years  after  the  massacre  of  the  garrison  of  the  old  penin- 
sular fort  of  the  same  name. 

"Wherever  Michilimackinac  is  mentioned  in  the  missionary  let- 
ters or  history  of  this  period,  it  is  the  ancient  fort,  on  the  apex  of 
the  Michigan  peninsula,  that  is  alluded  to. 

The  present  town  is  pleasantly  situated  around  a  little  bay  that 
affords  good  clay  anchorage  and  a  protection  from  west  and  north 
winds.  It  has  a  very  antique  and  foreign  look,  and  most  of  the 
inhabitants  are,  indeed,  of  the  Canadian  type  of  the  French.  The 
French  language  is  chiefly  spoken.  It  consists  of  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  houses  and  some  four  hundred  and  fifty  per- 
manent inhabitants. 

It  is  the  seat  of  justice  for  the  most  northerly  county  of  Michi- 
gan. According  to  the  observation  of  Lieut.  Evelith,  the  island 
lies  in  north  latitude  45°  54',  which  is  onl}^  twenty-three  minutes 
north  of  Montreal,  as  stated  by  Prof.  Silliman.*  It  is  in  west 
longitude  7°  10'  from  Washington. 

Col.  Croghan's  attempt  to  take  the  island,  during  the  late  war, 
was  most  unfortunate.  He  failed  from  a  double  spirit  of  dis- 
sension in  his  own  forces,  being  at  odds  with  the  commanding 
officer  of  the  fleet,  and  at  sword's  points  with  his  second  in  com- 
mand. Major  Holmes.  After  entering  the  St.  Mary's,  and  taking 
and  burning  the  old  post  of  St.  Joseph's,  where  nobody  resisted, 
instead  of  sailing  direct  to  Mackinac,  a  marauding  expedition 
was  sent  up  this  river  to  St.  Mary's,  and  when  the  fleet  and  troops 
finally  reached  Mackinac,  instead  of  landing  at  the  town,  under 
the  panic  of  the  inhabitants,  it  sailed  about  for  several  days.  In 
the  mean  time  the  island  filled  with  Indians  from  the  surrounding 
shores. 

Fort  "  Mackina"  is  eligibly  situated  on  a  cliff  overlooking  the 
town  and  harbor,  and  is  garrisoned  by  a  company  of  artillery. 
The  ruin  of  Fort  Holmes,  formerly  Fort  George,  occupies  the 
apex  of  the  island,  and  has  been  dismantled  since  the  British 
evacuated  it  in  1815.* 

*  Tour  from  Hartford  to  Quebec,  p.  341. 


NARRATIVE  Or  THE  EXPEDITION,  65 

It  happened  that  the  British  authorities  on  the  island  of  St. 
Joseph,  got  intelligence  of  the  declaration  of  war,  in  1812, 
through  Canada,  before  the  American  commander  at  Mack- 
inac heard  of  it.  Mustering  their  forces  with  such  volunteers, 
militia,  and  Indians  as  could  be  hastily  got  together,  they  pro- 
ceeded in  boats  to  the  back  of  the  island,  where  they  secretly 
landed  at  night  with  some  artillery,  and  by  daylight  the  next 
morning  got  the  latter  in  place  on  the  summit  of  Fort  Holmes, 
which  completely  commanded  the  lower  fort,  when  they  sent  a 
summons  of  surrender,  wdiich  Captain  Hanks,  the  American  com- 
manding officer,  had  no  option  but  to  obey. 

Colonel  Croghan,  the  hero  of  Sandusky,  attempted  to  regain 
possession  of  it,  in  1814,  wdth  a  competent  force,  and  after  several 
demonstrations  of  his  fleet  about  the  island,  by  which  time  was 
lost  and  panic  in  the  enemy  allayed,  he  landed  on  the  northern 
part  of  it,  which  is  depressed,  and  his  army  marched  through, 
thick  woods,  most  favorable  for  the  operations  of  the  Indians,  to 
the  open  grounds  of  Dousman's  Farm,  where  the  army  was  met 
by  Coloiiel  McDouall,  who  was  eligibly  posted  on  an  eminence 
with  but  few  regular  troops,  but  a  heavy  force  of  Indian  auxili- 
aries and  the  village  militia.  Major  Holmes,  Avho  gallantly  led 
the  attack,  swinging  his  sword,  w^as  killed  at  a  critical  moment, 
and  the  troops  retreated  before  Colonel  Croghan  could  reach  the 
field  with  a  reinforcement.     Thus  ended  this  affair. 

My  attention  was  directed  to  the  plaster  stated  to  exist  on  the  St. 
Martin  Islands.  These  islands  compose  a  small  group  lying  about 
nine  or  ten  miles  north-northeast  of  Michilimackiuac.  Captain 
Knapp,  of  the  revenue  service,  had  been  requested  to  take  me  to 
the  spot  with  the  revenue  cutter  under  his  command.  I  was 
accompanied  by  Captain  Douglass,  of  the  expedition,  and  bv 
Lieutenant  John  Pierce,  U.  S.  A.,  stationed  at  the  fort. 

The  gypsum  exists  in  a  moist  soil,  not  greatly  elevated,  during 
certain  winds  above  the  lake.  Pits  had  been  dug  by  persons  visiting 
the  locality  for  commercial  purposes.  It  occurs  in  granular  lumps 
of  a  gray  color,  as  also  in  foliated  and  fibrous  masses,  white,  gray, 
chestnut  color,  or  sometimes  red.  No  difficulty  w^as  encountered 
in  procuring  as  many  specimens  as  were  required.  This  group 
of  islands  is  noticeable,  also,  for  the  large  boulder  masses  of  horn- 
blende and  granite  rock,  which  are  found  imbedded  in,  or  lying 
5 


66  NAREATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

on  the  surface,  along  witli  fragments  of  breccia,  quartz,  &c.  This 
drift  is  more  abundant,  on  all  the  islands  I  have  seen,  as  we 
approach  the  north  shores  of  Lake  Huron,  Having  completed 
the  examination  of  these  islands,  we  returned  to  the  harbor  after 
an  agreeable  excursion. 

To  observe  the  structure  and  character  of  the  Island  of  Michili- 
mackinac,  I  determined  to  walk  entirely  around  it,  following  the 
beach  at  the  foot  of  the  cliffs.  This,  although  a  difficult  task, 
from  brush  and  debris,  became  a  practicable  one,  except  on  the 
north  and  northwest  borders,  where  there  was,  for  limited  spaces, 
no  margin  of  debris,  at  which  points  it  became  necessary  to  wade 
in  the  water  at  the  base  of  low  precipitous  rocks.  In  addition 
to  the  reticulated  masses  of  limestone  covered  with  calcspar  from 
the  fallen  cliffs,  the  search  disclosed  small  tabular  pieces  of  mi- 
nutely crystallized  quartz  and  angular  masses  of  a  kind  of  striped 
hornstone,  gray  and  lead  colored,  which  had  been  liberated  from 
similar  positions  in  the  cliffs.  On  passing  the  west  margin  of  the 
island,  I  observed  a  bed  of  a  species  of  light-blue  clay,  which  is 
stated  to  part  with  its  coloring  matter  in  baking  it,  becoming 
white. 

While  the  British  possessed  the  island,  they  attempted  to  pro- 
cure water  by  digging  two  wells  at  the  site  of  Fort  George  (now 
Holmes),  but  were  induced  to  relinquish  the  work  without  success, 
at  the  depth  of  about  one  hundred  feet.  Among  the  fragments 
of  rock  thrown  out,  are  impressions  of  bivalve  and  univalve 
shells,  with  an  impression  resembling  the  head  of  a  trilobite. 
These  are  generally  in  the  condition  of  chalcedony,  covered  with 
very  minute  crystals  of  quartz.  I  also  discovered  a  drift  speci- 
men of  brown  oxide  of  iron,  on  the  north  quarter.  This  sketch 
embraces  all  that  is  important  in  its  mineralogical  character. 

This  island  appears  to  have  been  occupied  by  the  Indians, 
from  an  early  period.  Human  bones  have  been  discovered  at 
more  than  one  point,  in  the  cavernous  structure  of  the  island  ; 
but  no  place  has  been  so  much  celebrated  for  disclosures  of  this 
kind,  as  the  Skull  Cave.  This  cave  has  a  prominent  entrance, 
shaded  by  a  few  trees,  and  appears  to  have  been  once  devoted  to 
the  offices  of  a  charnel-house  by  the  Indians.  It  is  not  mentioned 
at  all,  however,  by  writers,  till  1763,  in  the  month  of  June  of 
which  year  the  fort  of  old  Mackinac  on  the  peninsula,  was  trea- 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  67 

cherouslj  taken  by  tlie  Sac  and  Chippewa  Indians,  An  extensive 
and  threatening  confederation  of  the  Avestern  Indians  had  then 
been  mature'd,  and  a  large  body  of  armed  warriors  was  then  en- 
camped around  the  walls  of  Detroit,  under  the  leadership  of 
Pontiac,  who  held  the  garrison  in  close  siege  day  and  night.  The 
surrender  of  Canada  to  Great  Britian,  which  had  followed  the 
victory  of  General  Wolfe  at  Quebec,  was  distasteful  to  these  In- 
dians, and  they  attempted  the  mad  project  of  driving  back  beyond 
the  Alleghanies  the  English  race  ;  making  a  simultaneous  assault 
upon  all  the  military  posts'  west  of  that  great  line  of  demarcation, 
and  preaching  and  dealing  out  vengeance  to  all  who  had  English 
blood  in  their  veins.  Alexander  Henry,  a  native  of  Albany,* 
was  one  of  those  enterprising  men  who  had  pushed  his  fortunes 
West,  with  an  adventure  of  merchandise,  on  the  first  exchange  of 
posts,  and  he  was  singled  out  for  destruction,  as  soon  as  the  fort  was 
taken.  He  had  taken  refuge  in  the  house  of  a  Frenchman  named 
Longlade,  where  he  was  concealed  in  a  garret  by  a  Pawnee  slave, 
and  where  he  hid  himself  under  a  heap  of  birch-bark  buckets,  such 
as  are  employed  in  the  Indian  country,  in  the  spring  season,  in 
carrying  the  sap  of  the  sugar-maple.  But  this  temporary  re- 
prieve from  the  Indian  knife  seemed  only  the  prelude  to  a  series 
of  hairbreadth  escapes,  which  impressed  him  as  the  direct  inter- 
position of  Providence.  At  length,  when  the  scenes  of  blood  and 
intoxication  began  to  abate  a  little,  an  old  Indian  friend  of  his, 
called  Wawetum,  who  had  once  pledged  his  friendship,  but  who 
had  been  absent  during  the  massacre,  sought  him  out,  and  having 
reclaimed  him  by  presents,  in  a  formal  council,  took  him  into  his 
canoe  and  conducted  the  spared  witness  of  these  atrocities  three 
leagues'  across  the  waters  of  Lake  Huron  in  safety  to  this  island. 
To  this  place  they  were  accompanied  by  the  actors  in  this  tra- 
gedy to  the  number  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  fighting  men,f  and 
he  would  now,  under  the  protection  of  Wawetum,  have  been  safe 
from  immediate  peril,  but  that  in  a  few  days  a  prize  of  two  canoes 
of  merchandise  in  the  hands  of  English  traders  was  made,  amongst 
which  was  a  large  quantity  of  liquor.  Hereupon,  Wawetum,  fore- 
seeing another  carousal,  and  always  fearful  of  his  friend,  requested 
him  to  go  up  with  him  to  the  mountain  part  of  the  island.    Hav- 

*  Vide  Henry's  Travels,  New  York,  1809,  1  vol.  8vo.  f  Henry,  p.  109. 


68  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

iiiD-  ascended  it,  he  led  liim  to  this  cave,  and  recommended  him 
to  abide-here  in  concealment  until  the  debauch  was  over,  when 
he  promised  to  visit  him. 

Breaking  some  branches  at  its  mouth  for  a  bed,  he  then  sought 
its  recesses,  and  spreading  his  blanket  around,  laid  down  and  slept 
till  morning.  Daylight  revealed  to  him  the  fact  that, he  had 
been  reposing  on  dry  human  bones,  and  that  the  cave  had  an- 
ciently been  devoted  by  the  Indians  as  a  sepulchre.  On  announc- 
ing this  fact  to  his  deliverer,  two  days  afterward,  when  he  came 
to  seek  him,  Wawetum  expressed  his  ignorance  of  it,  and  a  party 
of  the  Indians,  who  came  to  examine  it  in  consequence  of  the 
announcement,  also  concurred  in  declaring  that  they  had  no  tra- 
dition on  the  subject.  They  conjectured  that  the  bones  were 
either  due  to  the  period  when  the  sea  covered  the  earth — which 
is  a  common  belief  with  them — or  to  the  period  of  the  Huron 
occupancy  of  this  island,  after  that  tribe  were  defeated  by  the  Iro- 
quois, in  the  St.  Lawrence  valley. 

So  much  for  tradition. 

This  island  has  been  long  known  as  a  prominent  point  in  the 
fur  trade.  But  of  this  I  am  not  prepared  to  speak.  It  was 
selected  by  Mr.  J.  J.  Astor,  in  1816,  as  the  central  point  of  outfit 
for  his  clerks  and  agents  in  this  region;  and  the  warehouses 
erected  for  their  accommodation  constitute  prominent  features  in 
its  modern  architecture.  The  capital  annually  invested  in  this 
business  is  understood  to  be  about  three  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars. This  trade  was  deemed  an  object  of  the  highest  consequence 
from  the  first  settlement  of  Canada,  but  it  was  not  till  1766,  agree- 
ably to  Sir  Alexander  Mackenzie,  that  it  commenced  from  Mich- 
ilimackinac*  The  number  of  furred  animals  taken  in  a  single 
year,  the  same  author  states  to  be  one  hundred  and  eighty-two 
thousand  two  hundred ;  of  which  number,  the  astonishing  propor- 
tion of  one  hundred  and  six  thousand  were  beavers.f  Estimating 
each  skin  at  but  one  pound,  and  the  foreign  market  price  at  four 
dollars  per  pound,  which  are  both  much  below  the  average  at  this 
era,  this  item  of  beaver  alone  would  exceed  by  more  than  one- 
third  the  whole  capital  employed,  taking  the  data  before  men- 

*  Mackenzie's  Voyages,  Hist.  Fur  Trade,  vii. 
■)■  Mackenzie,  xxiv. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  69 

tinned,  and  leave  the  seventy-six  thousand  smaller  furred  ani- 
mals to  be  put  on  the  profit  side.  No  wonder  that  acts  of  perfidy 
arose  between  rivals,  such  as  the  shooting  of  Mr.  Waden  at  his 
own  dinner-table,  where  he  was  entertaining  an  opponent  or 
copartner  in  the  trade ;  or  the  foul  assassination  of  Owen  Keveny 
on  the  Eainy  Lakes.*  Indeed,  the  fur  trade  has  for  a  long  period 
been  more  productive,  if  we  are  to  rely  on  statements,  than  the 
richest  silver  mines  of  Mexico  or  Peru. 

Society  at  Michilimackinac  consists  of  so  many  diverse  ele- 
ments, which  impart  their  hue  to  it,  that  it  is  not  easy  for  a  pass- 
ing traveller  to  form  any  just  estimate  of  it.  The  Indian,  with  his 
plumes,  and  gay  and  easy  costume,  always  imparts  an  oriental 
air  to  it.  To  this,  the  Canadian,  gay,  thoughtless,  ever  bent  on 
the  present,  and  caring  nothing  for  to-morrow,  adds  another 
phase.  The  trader,  or  interior  clerk,  who  takes  his  outfit  of 
goods  to  the  Indians,  and  spends  eleven  months  of  the  year  in 
toil,  and  want,  and  petty  traffic,  appears  to  dissipate  his  means  with 
a  sailor-like  improvidence  in  a  few  weeks,  and  then  returns  to  his 
forest  wanderings;  and  boiled  corn,  pork,  and  wild  rice  again  sup- 
ply his  wants.  There  is  in  these  periodical  resorts  to  the  central 
quarters  of  the  Fur  Company,  much  to  remind  one  of  the  old 
feudal  manners,  in  which  there  is  proud  hospitality  and  a  show 
of  lordliness  on  the  one  side,  and  gay  obsequiousness  and  cring- 
ing dependence  on  the  other,  at  least  till  the  annual  bargains 
for  the  trade  are  closed. 

We  were  informed  that  there  is  neither  school,  preaching,  a 
physician  (other  than  at  the  garrison),  nor  an  attorney,  in  the  place. 
There  are,  however,  courts  of  law,  a  post-office,  and  a  jail,  and 
one  or  more  justices  of  the  peace. 

There  is  a  fish  market  every  morning,  where  may  be  had  the 
trout — two  species — and  the  white  fish,  the  former  of  which  are 
caught  with  hooks  in  deep  water,  and  the  latter  in  gill  nets- 
Occasionally,  other  species  appear,  but  the  trout  and  white  fish, 
which  is  highly  esteemed,  are  staples,  and  may  be  relied  on  in 
the  shore  market  daily ;  whole  canoe-loads  of  them  are  brought  in. 

The  name  of  this  island  is  said  to  signify  a  great  turtle,  to  which 
it  has  a  fancied  resemblance,  when  viewed  from  a  distance.    Mike- 

-:^  Report  of  the  Trials  of  De  Reinhard,  &c.     Montreal,  1818. 


70  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

nok,  and  not  Mackenok,  is,  however,  the  name  for  a  tortoise.  The 
term,  as  pronounced  by  the  Indians,  is  Michinemockinokong, 
signifying  place  of  the  Great  Michinamockinocks,  or  rock-spirits. 
Of  this  word,  Mich  is  from  Michau  (adjective-animate),  great.  The 
term  viachinok,  in  the  Algonquin  mythology,  denotes  in  the  singu- 
lar, a  species  of  spirits,  called  turtle  spirits,  or  large  fairies,  who 
are  thought  to  frequent  its  mysterious  cliffs  and  glens.  The 
plural  of  this  word,  which  is  an  animate  plural,  is  07ig,  which  is 
the  ordinary  form  of  all  nouns  ending  in  the  vowel  o.  When 
the  French  came  to  write  this,  they  cast  away  the  Indian  local  in 
.cng,  changed  the  sound  of  n  to  I,  and  gave  the  force  mack 
and  nack,  to  mole  and  nok.  The  vowel  e,  after  the  first  syllable, 
is  merely  a  connective  in  the  Indian,  and  which  is  represented  in 
the  French  orthography  in  this  word  by  i.  The  ordinary  inter- 
pretation of  great  turtle  is,  therefore,  not  widely  amiss ;  but  in 
its  true  meaning,  the  term  enters  more  deeply  into  the  Indian 
mythology  than  is  conjectured.  The  island  was  deemed,  in  a 
peculiar  sense,  the  residence  of  spirits  during  all  its  earlier  ages. 
Its  cliffs,  and  dense  and  dark  groves  of  maples,  beech,  and  iron- 
wood,  cast  fearful  shadows;  and  it  was  landed  on  by  them  in 
fearfulness,  and  regarded  flxr  and  near  as  the  Sacred  Island.  Its 
apex  is,  indeed,  the  true  Indian  Olympiis  of  tlie  tribes,  whose 
superstitions  and  mythology  peopled  it  by  gods,  or  monitos. 

Since  our  arrival  here,  there  has  been  a  great  number  of  Indians 
of  the  Chippewa  and  Ottowa  tribes  encamped  near  the  town.  The 
beach  of  the  lake  has  been  constantly  lined  with  Indian  wigwams 
and  bark  canoes.  These  tribes  are  generally  well  dressed  in  their 
own  costume,  which  is  light  and  artistic,  and  exhibit  physiogno- 
mies with  more  regularity  of  features  and  mildness  of  expression 
than  it  is  common  to  find  among  them.  This  is  probably  attri- 
butable to  a  greater  intermixture  of  blood  in  this  vicinity.  They 
resort  to  the  island,  at  this  season,  for  the  purpose  of  exchanging 
their  furs,  maple-sugar,  mats,  and  small  manufactures.  Among 
the  latter  are  various  articles  of  ornament,  made  by  the  females, 
from  the  fine  white  deer  skin,  or  yellow  birch  bark,  embroidered 
with  colored  porcupine  quills.  The  floor  mats,  made  from  rushes, 
are  generally  more  or  less  figured.  Mockasins,  miniature  sugar- 
boxes,  called  mo-cocks,  shot-pouches,  and  a  kind  of  pin  and  needle- 
holders,  or  housewives,  are  elaborately  beaded.      But  nothing 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITIOX,  71 

exceeds  in  value  the  largest  mercliantabic  mockocks  of  sugar, 
which  are  brought  in  for  sale.  They  receive  for  this  article  six 
cents  per  pound,  in  merchandise,  and  the  amount  made  in  a  sea- 
son, by  a  single  family,  is  sometimes  fifteen  hundred  pounds.  The 
Ottowas  of  L'Arbre  Croche  are  estimated  at  one  thousand  souls, 
which,  divided  by  five,  would  give  two  hundred  families ;  and  by 
admitting  each  family  to  manufacture  but  two  hundred  pounds 
per  annum,  would  give  a  total  of  forty  thousand  pounds;  and 
there  are  probably  as  many  ChippeAvas  within  the  basins  of  Lakes 
Huron  and  Michigan.  This  item  alone  shoAvs  the  importance  of 
the  Indian  trade,  distinct  from  the  question  of  furs. 

During  the  time  we  remained  on  this  island,  the  atmosphere 
denoted  a  mean  temperature  of  55°  Fahrenheit.  The  changes 
are  often  sudden  and  great.  The  island  is  subject  to  be  enveloped 
in  fogs,  which  frequently  rise  rapidly.  These  fogs  are  sometimes  so 
dense,  as  to  obscure  completely  objects  at  but  a  short  distance.  I 
visited  Eound  Island  one  day  with  Lieut.  Mackay,'-^  and  we  were 
both  engaged  in  taking  views  of  the  fort  and  town  of  Michilimacki- 
uac,t  when  one  of  these  dense  fogs  came  on,  and  spread  itself  with 
such  rapidity,  that  we  were  compelled  to  relinquish  our  designs 
unfinished,  and  it  was  not  without  difficulty  that  we  could  make 
our  way  across  the  nan-ow  channel,  and  return  to  the  island. 
This  fact  enabled  me  to  realize  what  the  old  travellers  of  the 
region  have  affirmed  on  this  topic. 

We  were  received  during  our  visit  here  in  the  most  hospitable 
manner,  as  well  as  with  official  courtesy,  by  Capt.  B.  K.  Pierce,  the 
commanding  officer.  Major  Puthuflf,  the  Indian  agent,  and  by  the 
active  and  intelligent  agents  of  Mr.  John  Jacob  Astor,  the  great 
fiscal  head  of  the  Fur  Trade  in  this  quarter. 

*  Lieut.  Eneas  Mackay.  This  officer,  after  tlie  retui-n  from  this  expedition, 
went  through  the  regular  grades  of  promotion  in  the  army,  and  had  at  the  period 
of  his  death,  which  took  place  in  1850,  at  St.  Louis,  Missoui-i,  reached  the  brevet 
rank  of  colonel. 

f  For  the  view  from  this  point,  see  Information  respecting  the  History,  Condi- 
tion, and  Prospects  of  the  Indian  Tribes  of  the  United  States,  vol.  iv.  Plate  42. 


72  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

Proceed  down  the  noi-tli  shore  of  Lake  Huron  to  the  entrance  of  the  Straits  of  St, 
Mary's — Character  of  the  shores,  and  incidents — Ascend  the  river  to  Sault  Ste. 
Marie — Hostilities  encountered  there — Intrepidity  of  General  Cass. 

Having  spent  six  days  on  the  island,  rambling  about  it,  and 
making  ourselves  as  well  acquainted  with  its  features  and  inhabit- 
ants as  possible,  we  felt  quite  recruited  and  cheered  up,  after  the 
tedious  delays  along  the  southern  shores  of  Lake  Huron.  And 
we  all  felt  the  better  prepared  for  plunging  deeper  into  the 
northwestern  forest.  Before  venturing  into  the  stronghold  of 
the  Chippewas,  whose  territories  extend  around  Lake  Superior, 
it  was  deemed  prudent  to  take  along  an  additional  military  force 
as  far  as  Sault  de  Ste.  Marie.  But  five  or  six  years  had  then 
passed  since  this  large  tribe  had  been  arrayed  in  hostilities 
against  the  United  States  (in  the  war  of  1814),  and  they  were  yet 
smarting  under  the  wounds  and  losses  which  they  had  received 
at  Brownstown  and  the  Eiver  Thames,  where  they  had  lost  some 
prominent  men.  Generals  Brown  and  Macomb,*  when  making 
a  reconnoissance,  with  their  respective  staffs,  a  couple  of  years 
before,  had  been  fired  on  in  visiting  Gros  Cape,  at  the  foot  of 
Lake  Superior,  and  although  no  one  was  killed  on  that  occasion, 
the  circumstance  was  sufficient  to  indicate  their  feeling. 

This  additional  force  was  placed  under  the  command  of  Lieu- 

*  The  following  are  the  official  data  of  this  distinguished  officer:  — 
Alexander  Macomb,  Jr.,  born  April  3,  1782,  Detroit,  N.  Y. ;  Cornet  Cavalry, 
January  10,  1799;  Second  Lieutenant,  February,  1801;  retained,  April,  1802,  in 
Second  Infantry;  First  Lieutenant  of  Engineers,  October,  1802;  Captain,  June, 
1805  :  Major  of  Engineers,  February  23,  1808  ;  Lieutenant-Colonel,  July  23,  1810  ; 
Acting  Adjutant-General  of  the  Army,  April  28,  1812;  Colonel  Third  Artillery, 
July  G,  1812;  Brigadier-General,  January  24,  1814;  Brevet  Major-General,  "for 
distinguished  and  gallant  conduct  in  defeating  the  enemy  at  Plattsburg,  September 
11,  1814"  (October  1,  1814);  received  the  "thanks  of  Congress"  of  November  3, 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  73 

tenant  John  S.  Pierce,  U.  S.  A.,  a  brother  of  the  commanding 
officer, "  and  of  Franklin  Pierce,  President  of  the  United  States.  It 
consisted  of  twenty-two  men,  with  a  twelve-oared  barge.  The 
whole  expedition,  now  numbering  sixty-four  persons,  embarked 
at  ten  o'clock  on  the  15th,  with  a  fair  wind,  for  our  first  destina- 
tion, at  Detour,  being  the  west  cape  of  the  Straits  of  St.  Mary's. 
The  distance  is  estimated  at  forty  miles,  along  a  very  intricate, 
masked  shore  of  islands,  called  Chenos.  The  breeze  carried  us 
at  the  rate  of  five  miles  per  hour.  The  first  traverse  is  an  arm  of 
the  Lake,  three  leagues  across,  over  which  we  passed  swimmingly. 
This  traverse  is  broken  near  its  eastern  terminus  by  Goose 
Island,  the  Nekuhmenis  (literally  Brant  Island)  of  the  Chippe- 
was — a  noted  place  of  encampment  for  traders.  We  did  not, 
however,  touch  at  it.  A  couple  of  miles  beyond  this  brought 
us  to  Outard  Point,  where  the  men  rested  a  few  moments 
on  their  oars  and  paddles.  This  point  forms  the  commencement 
of  those  intricate  channels  which  constitute  the  Chenos  group. 
Our  steersman  gave  them,  however,  a  wide  berth,  and  did  not 
approach  near  the  shore  till  it  began  to  be  time  to  look  out  for 
the  mouth  of  the  St.  Mary's,  After  passing  Point  St.  Yitel,  a 
distance  of  about  thirty  miles,  the  guides  led  into  a  sandy  bay, 
under  the  impression  that  we  had  reached  the  west  cape  of  the 
St.  Mary's ;  but  in  this  we  were  deceived.  While  landing  here 
a  few  moments,  in  a  deep  bay,  the  animal  called  Kaug  by 
the  Chippewas  (a  porcupine),  was  discovered  and  killed  by  one 
of  the  men,  called  Baptiste,  by  a  blow  from  a  hatchet.  Buflfon 
gives-  two  engravings  of  this  animal,  as  found  in  Canada,  under 
separate  names ;  but  it  is  apprehended  that  he  has  been  misled  by 

1814,  "for  his  gallantry  and  good  condvict  in  defeating  the  enemy  at  Plattsburg, 
on  the  11th  of  September,  repelling  with  1,500  men,  aided  by  a  body  of  militia  and 
volunteers  from  New  York  and  Vermont,  a  British  veteran  army,  greatly  superior 
in  numbers,"  with  the  presentation  of  a  gold  medal,  "  emblematical  of  this  triumph;" 
retained,  April  8,  1815 ;  retained,  May  21,  as  Colonel  and  Principal  Engineer,  with 
Brevets  Major-General  and  General-in-Chief  of  the  Army,  May  24,  1828;  com- 
manded the  army  of  Florida  183G  ;  died  June  25,  1841,  at  his  head-quarters, 
Washington  City. — Gardner's  Army  Dictionary. 

*  John  Sullivan  Pierce  (N.  H.,  brother  to  Colonel  Benjamin  K.  Pierce),  Third 
Lieutenant  Third  Artillery,  April  5,  and  Second  Lieutenant,  Maj',  1814;  retained, 
May,  1815,  in  Artillery;  First  Lieutenant,  Api'il  1818  ;  resigned  February  1,  1823. 
— Gardner^s  Army  Dictionary. 


74  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

the  same  animal  seen  in  its  summer  and  winter  dress.  To  the 
Indian,  this  animal  is  valuable  for  its  quills,  which  are  djed  of 
bright  colors,  to  ornament  their  dresses,  moccasons,  shot-pouches, 
and  other  choice  fabrics  of  deer  skin,  or  birch  bark.  This  animal 
has  four  claws  on  the  fore  paw,  and  five  on  the  hinder  oiies.  It 
has  small  ears  hid  in  the  hair,  and  a  bushy  tail,  with  coarse  black 
and  white  hair.     The  specimen  killed  would  weigh  eight  pounds. 

Soon  after  coming  out  from  this  indentation  of  the  lake,  we 
came  in  sight  of  Point  Detour,  on  turning  which,  from  E.  to  N., 
we  found  no  longer  use  for  sails.  Mackenzie  places  this  point 
in  north  latitude  45°  54'. 

The  geology"  of  this  coast  appears  manifest.  Secondary  com- 
pact limestone  appears  in  place,  in  low  situations,  on  the  reef  of 
Outard  Island  and  Point,  and  in  the  approach  to  Point  Detour. 
A  ridge  of  calcareous  highlands  appears  on  the  mainland  east  of 
Michilimackinac,  stretching  off  towards  Sault  de  Ste.  Marie,  in  a 
northeast  direction.  This  ridge  appears  to  belong  to  a  low 
mountain  chain,  of  which  the  Island  of  Michilimackinac  may  be 
deemed  as  one  of  the  geological  links.  Just  before  turning,  we 
passed  a  very  heavy  angular  block  of  limestone,  much  covered 
with  moss,  which  could  not  have  been  far  removed,  in  the  drift 
era,  from  its  parent  bed.  The  largest  angle  of  this  stone,  which 
I  have  since  examined,  must  be  eight  or  ten  feet.  This  block  is 
of  the  ortho-cerite  stratum  of  Drummond  Island.  The  shores 
are  heavily  charged  with  various  members  of  the  boulder  drift, 
with  a  fringe  beyond  them  of  spruce  and  firs,  giving  one  the  idea 
of  a  cold,  exposed,  and  most  unfavorable  coast.  Turning  the 
Point  of  Detour,  we  ascended  the  strait  a  few  miles,  and  encamped 
on  its  west  shore,  off  Frying-pan  Island,  at  a  point  directly  oppo- 
site the  British  post  of  Drummond  Island,  which  we  could  not 
perceive,  but  the  direction  of  which  was  clearly  denoted  by  the 
sound  of  the  evening  buoies. 

The  entrance  into  this  strait  forms  a  magnificent  scene  of  waters 
and  islands,  of  which  a  map  conveys  but  a  faint  conception.  The 
straits  here  appeared  to  be  illimitable,  we  seemed  to  be  in  a 
world  of  waters.  It  is  stated  to  be  thirty  miles  across  to  Point 
Thessalon.  The  large  group  of  the  Manatouline  Islands,  stretch- 
ing transversely  through  Lake  Huron,  terminates  with  the  isle 
Drummond — a  name  bestowed  in  compliment  to  the  bold  leader, 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  75 

Col.  Drumniond,  who  led  tlie  night  storming  party,  and  was  blown 
up  on  the  bastion  of  Fort  Erie,  in  1813.  This  station  was  first 
occupied  on  the  withdrawal  of  the  British  troops  from  Mackinac, 
in  1815.  This  day's  trip  gave  us  a  favorable  idea  of  canoe 
travelling.  It  also  gave  us  an  exalted  idea  of  the  gigantic  sys- 
tem of  these  lake  waters,  and  their  connecting  straits.  We  had 
never  done  gazing  at  the  prospect  before  us,  after  turning  the  De- 
tour, and  did  not  retire  from  our  camp  fires  early.  The  next 
morning  we  embarked  at  five  o'clocl^,  a  light  dreamy  mist  hanging 
over  the  waters.  When  this  cleared  away,  we  descried  the  ruin- 
ed chimneys  and  buildings  of  St.  Joseph,  the  abandoned  British 
post  burned  by  Col.  Croghan,  in  1814.*  The  day  turned  out  a 
fine  one,  and  we  proceeded  up  the  straits  with  pleasurable  feel- 
ings, excited  by  the  noble  and  novel  views  of  scenery  continually 
before  us.  Keeping  the  west  side  of  a  high  limestone  island 
called  Isle  a  la  Crosse,  we  then  eutered  a  sheet  of  water  called  Lac 
Vaseau,  or  Muddy  Lake.  We  had  proceeded  northwardly  per- 
haps twenty  miles,  when  we  encountered  another  of  those  large 
islands  for  which  these  straits  are  remarkable,  called  ISTebeeshjf 
or  Sailor's  Encampment  Island.  Our  guides  held  up  on  its  western 
side,  which  soon  brought  us  to  the  first  rapids,  and  the  commence- 
ment of  St.  Mary's  Eiver.  A  formation  of  sandstone  is  here  ob- 
served in  the  bed  of  the  stream.  The  waters  are  swift  and  shal- 
low, and  the  men  encountered  quite  a  struggle  in  the  ascent,  and 
so  much  injured  one  of  our  canoes  that  it  became  necessary  to  un- 
lade and  menc]  it.  In  the  mean  time,  the  atmosphere  put  on  a 
threatening  aspect,  with  heavy  peals  of  thunder,  but  no  rain  fol- 
lowed till  we  again  re-embarked  and  proceeded  five  or  six  miles, 
when  a  shower  fell.  It  did  not,  however,  compel  us  to  land,  and 
by  six  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  sky  again  became  clear.  We 
had  now  ascended  the  strait  and  river  so  far,  that  it  became  cer- 
tain we  could  reach  our  destination  before  night,  and  the  men 
worked  with  the  greater  alacrity.  At  eight  o'clock  we  had  sur- 
mounted the  second  rapid,  called  the  Little  Eapid,  ISTebeetung  of 

*  This  fort  was  first  erected  by  the  British  in  1795,  the  year  before  Michili- 
mackinac  was  evacuated  under  Wayne's  treaty  with  the  Indians. 

f  From  Nebee,  water ;  hence  Nebeesh,  rapid  water,  or  strong  water,  the  name  of 
the  rapids  which  connect  the  straits  with  the  River  St.  Clary's.  This  word  is  the 
derogative  form  of  the  Chippewa  noun. 


76  NAREATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

the  Indians,  where  we  encountered  a  swift  current.  We  were 
now  within  two  miles  of  our  destination.  The  whole  river  is  here 
embodied  before  the  eye,  and  is  a  mile  or  three-fourths  of  a  mile 
wide,  and  the  two  separate  villages  on  the  British  and  American 
shores  began  to  reveal  themselves  to  view,  with  the  cataract  of 
the  Sault  de  Ste.  Marie  in  the  distance ;  and  a  beautiful  forest  of 
elms,  oaks,  and  maples  on  either  hand.  We  ascended  with  our 
flags  flying,  our  little  squadron  being  spread  out  in  order,  and 
the  Canadian  boatmen  raising  one  of  their  enlivening  songs. 
Long  before  reaching  the  place,  a  large  throng  of  Indians  had 
collected  on  the  beach,  who,  as  we  put  in  towards  the  shore,  fired 
a  salute,  and  stood  ready  to  greet  us  with  their  customary  hoslio* 
We  landed  in  front  of  the  old  Nolan  house,f  the  ancient  head- 
quarters of  the  Northwest  Company ;  and  immediately  formed  our 
encampment  on  the  wide  green,  extending  along  the  river.  Day- 
light in  this  latitude  is  protracted,  and  although  we  had  ascended 
a  computed  distance  of  forty-five  miles,  and  had  had  the  mishap 
to  break  a  canoe  in  the  Nebeesh,  there  was  abundant  light  to  fix 
our  encampment  properly.  Lieut,  Pierce  encamped  his  men  on 
our  extreme  right.  Leaving  an  interval,  Lieut.  Mackay's  escort 
came  next,  and  our  tents  formed  the  northern  line  of  his  encamp- 
ment, nearest  to  the  Indians.  The  latter  occupied  a  high  plateau, 
in  plain  view,  several  hundred  yards  west,  with  an  intervening 
gulley,  and  a  plain,  well-beat  footpath.  We  had,  in  case  of  diffi- 
culty, thirty-four  muskets,  Pierce's  command  included,  in  addition 
to  which,  each  of  the  savans,  or  Governor's  mess,  were  armed  with 
a  short  rifle.  Our  line  may  have  looked  offensively  demonstra- 
tive to  the  Chippewas,  who  regarded  it,  from  their  ancient  emi- 
nence, with  unfriendly  feelings.  These  particulars  are  given  from 
the  perilous  position  we  were  brought  into  next  day. 

Meantime,  we  passed  a  quiet  night  in  our  tents,  where  the  deep 
sound  of  the  Falls  fell  on  the  wakeful  ear,  interspersed  with  the 
distant  monotonous  thump  of  the  Indian  tawaegon.  It  required 
but  little  observation,  in  the  morning,  to  explore  the  village  of 
St.  Mary's.  It  consisted  of  some  fifteen  or  twenty  buildings  of  all 
sorts,  occupied  by  descendants  of  the  original  French  settlers,  all 
of  whom  drew  their  living  from  the  fur  trade.     The  principal 

*  From  the  French  Ion  jour.  j-  The  present  site  of  Fort  Brady. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  77 

buildings  aud  outhouses  were  tliose  of  Mr.  John  Johnston, 
and  the  group  formerly  occupied  by  the  Northwest  Company. 
Most  of  the  French  habitations  stood  in  the  midst  of  picketed 
lots.  There  were  about  forty  or  fifty  lodges,  or  two  hundred 
Chippewas,  fifty  or  sixty  of  whom  were  warriors.  But,  al- 
though this  j)lace  was  originally  occupied  as  a  missionary  centre, 
by  the  Eoman  Catholic  missionaries  of  New  France,  about  the 
middle  of  the  seventeenth  century,  no  trace  of  the  ancient  church 
could  be  seen,  unless  it  was  in  an  old  consecrated  graveyard, 
which  has  continued  to  be  used  for  interments.  Mr.  Johnston, 
the  principal  inhabitant,  is  a  native  of  the  County  of  Antrim, 
Ireland,  where  his  connections  are  persons  of  rank.  He  is  a  polite, 
intelligent,  and  well-bred  man,  from  a  manifestly  refined  circle ; 
who,  soon  after  the  close  of  the  American  Revolution,  settled  here, 
and  married  the  daughter  of  a  distinguished  Indian  chief*  Al- 
though  now  absent  on  a  visit  to  Europe,  his  family  received  us 
with  marked  urbanity  and  hospitality,  and  invited  the  gentlemen 
composing  the  travelling  family  of  Governor  Cass  to  take  all  our 
meals  with  them.  Everything  at  this  mansion  was  done  with 
ceremonious  attention  to  the  highest  rules  of  English  social  life ; 
Miss  Jane,  the  eldest  daughter,  who  had  received  her  education 
in  Ireland,  presiding. 

*  IxTER-EuKOPEAN  AMALGAMATION. — Jolin  Johnston  TYas  a  native  of  the  north 
of  Ireland,  where  his  family  possessed  an  estate  called  "  Craige,"  near  the  cele- 
brated Giant's  Causeway.  He  came  to  this  country  during  the  first  Presidential 
term  of  Washington,  and  settled  at  St.  Mary's,  about  1793.  He  was  a  gentleman 
of  taste,  reading,  refined  feeling,  and  cultivated  manners,  which  enabled  him  to 
direct  the  education  of  his  children,  an  object  to  which  he  assiduously  devoted  him- 
self; and  his  residence  was  long  known  as  the  seat  of  hospitality  and  refinement  to 
all  who  visited  the  region.  In  1814,  his  premises  were  visited,  during  his  absence, 
by  a  part  of  the  force  who  entered  the  St.  Mary's,  under  Colonel  Croghan,  and  his 
private  property  subjected  to  pillage,  from  a  misapprehension,  created  by  some 
evil-minded  persons,  that  he  was  an  agent  of  the  Northwest  Company.  Genial, 
social,  kind,  and  benevolent,  his  society  was  much  sought,  and  he  was  sometimes 
imposed  on  by  those  who  had  been  received  into  his  employments  and  trusts  (as  in 
the  reports  which  carried  the  American^  to  his  domicil  in  1814).  He  died  at  St. 
Mary's,  in  1828,  leaving  behind,  among  his  papers,  evidence  that  his  leisure  hours 
were  sometimes  lightened  by  literary  employments.  Mr.  Johnston,  by  marrying  the 
daughter  of  the  ruling  chief  of  this  region,  placed  himself  in  the  position  of  another 
Rolfe.  Espousing,  in  Christian  mai-riage,  the  daughter  of  Wabjeeg,  he  became  the 
son-in-law  of  another  Powhatan ;  thus  establishing  such  a  connection  between  the 
Hibei'nian  and  Chippewa  races,  as  the  former  had  done  between  the  English  and 
Powhetanic  stocks. 


78  NARKATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

The  Sault  (from  the  Latin  Saltus,  through  the  French)  or  Falls 
of  St.  Mary,  is  the  head  of  navigation  for  vessels  on  the  lakes,  and 
has  been,  from  early  days,  a  thoroughfare  for  the  Indian  trade. 
It  is  equally  renowned  for  its  white  fish,  which  are  taken  in  the 
rapids  with  a  scoop-net.  The  abundance  and  excellence  of  these 
fish  has  been  the  praise  of  all  travellers  from  the  earliest  date, 
and  it  constitutes  a  ready  means  of  subsistence  for  the  Indians 
who  congregate  here. 

The  place  was  chiefly  memorable  in  our  tour,  however,  as  the 
seat  of  the  Chippewa  power.  To  adjust  the  relations  of  the  tribe 
with  the  United  States,  a  council  was  convened  with  the  chiefs  on 
the  day  following  our  arrival.  This  council  was  assembled  at 
the  Governor's  marquee^  which  was  graced  by  the  national  ensign, 
and  prepared  for  the  interview  with  the  usual  presents.  The 
chiefs,  clothed  in  their  best  habiliments,  and  arrayed  in  feathers 
and  British  medals,  seated  themselves,  with  their  usual  dignity, 
in  great  order,  and  the  business  was  opened  with  the  usual  cere- 
mony of  smoking  the  peace  pipe.  When  this  had  been  finished,  and 
the  interpreter*  taken  his  position,  he  was  directed  to  explain  the 
views  of  the  Government,  in  visiting  the  country,  to  remind  them 
that  their  ancestors  had  formerly  conceded  the  occupancy  of  the 
place  to  the  French,  to  whose  national  rights  and  prerogatives  the 
Americans  had  succeeded,  and,  by  a  few  direct  and  well-timed 
historical  and  practical  remarks,  to  secure  their  assent  to  its  reoc- 
cupancy.  The  utmost  attention  was  bestowed  while  this  address 
was  being  made,  and  it  was  evident,  from  the  glances  of  the  hearers, 
that  it  was  received  with  unfriendly  feelings,  and  several  chiefs 
spoke  in  reply.  They  were  averse  to  the  proposition,  and  first 
endeavored  to  evade  it  by  pretending  to  know  nothing  of  such 
former  grants.  This  point  being  restated  by  the  American  com- 
missioner, and  pressed  home  strongly,  was  eventually  dropped 
by  them.  Still,  they  continued  to  speak  in  an  evasive  and  desul- 
tory manner,  which  had  the  effect  of  a  negative.  It  was  evident 
that  there  was  a  want  of  agreeihent,  and  some  animated  discus- 
sion arose  among  themselves.     Two  classes  of  persons  a^jpeared 

•  James  Riley,  a  son  of  the  late  J.  V.  S.  Riley,  Esq.,  of  Schenectady,  N.  Y., 
by  a  Saganaw  woman ;  a  man  well  versed  in  the  language,  customs,  and  local  tradi- 
tions of  the  Chippewas. 


•      NAREATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION".  79 

among  tlie  chiefs.  Some  appeared  in  favor  of  settling  a  boundary 
to  the  ancient  precinct  of  French  occupancy,  j)rovided  it  ^vas  not 
intended  to  be  occupied  by  a  garrison,  saying,  in  the  symbolic 
language  of  Indians,  that  they  were  afraid,  in  that  case,  their  young 
men  might  kill  the  cattle  of  the  garrison.  Gov.  Cass,  under- 
standing this,  replied  that,  as  to  the  establishment  of  a  garrison, 
they  need  not  give  themselves  any  uneasiness — it  was  a  settled 
point,  and  so  sure  as  the  sun  that  was  then  rising  would  set,  so 
sure  would  there  be  an  American  garrison  sent  to  that  point, 
whether  they  renewed  the  grant  or  not.  This  decisive  language 
had  a  sensible  effect.  High  words  followed  between  the  chiefs. 
The  head  chief  of  the  band,  Shingabawossin,  a  tall,  stately  man,  of 
prudent  views,  evidently  sided  with  the  moderates,  and  was  eva- 
sive in  his  speech.  A  chief  called  Shingwauk,  or  the  Little  Pine, 
who  had  conducted  the  last  war  party  from  the  village  in  1814, 
was  inclined  to  side  with  the  hostiles.  There  was  a  chief  present 
called  Sassaba,  a  tall,  martial-looking  man,  of  the  reigning  family 
of  chiefs  of  the  Crane  Totem,  who  had  lost  a  brother  in  the  bat- 
tle of  the  Thames.  He  .wore  a  scarlet  uniform,  with  epaulets, 
and  nourished  a  deep  resentment  against  the  United  States.  He 
stuck  his  war  lance  furiously  in  the  ground  before  him,  at  the 
beginning  of  his  harangue,  and,  assuming  a  savage  wildness  of  air, 
appeared  to  produce  a  corresponding  effect  upon  the  other  Indian 
speakers,  and  employed  the  strongest  gesticulation.  His  address 
brought  Ae  deliberations  to  a  close,  after  they  had  continued 
,  some  hours,  by  a  defiant  tone ;  and,  as  he  left  the  marquee^  he 
kicked  away  the  presents  laid  before  the  council.  Great  agitation 
ensued.  The  council  was  then  summarily  dissolved,  the  Indians 
went  to  their  hill,  and  we  to  our  tents. 

It  has  been  stated  that  the  encampment  of  the  Indians  was 
_situated  on  an  eminence  a  few  hundred  yards  west  from  our  po- 
sition on  the  shore,  and  separated  from  us  by  a  small  ravine.  We 
had  scarcely  reached  our  tents,  when  it  was  announced  that  the 
Indians  had  raised  the  British  flag  in  their  camp.  They  felt  their 
superiority  in  number,  and  did  not  disguise  their  insolence. 
Affairs  had  reached  a  crisis.  A  conflict  seemed  inevitable. 
Governor  Cass  instantly  ordered  the  expedition  under  arms. 
He  then  called  the  interpreter,  and  proceeded  with  him,  naked- 


80  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

handed  and  alone,  to  Sassaba's  lodge  at  the  hostile  camp.  Being 
armed  with  short  rifles,  we  requested  to  be  allowed  to  accompany 
him  as  a  body-guard,  but  he  decidedly  refused  this.  On  reaching 
the  lodge  of  the  hostile  chief,  before  whose  door  the  flag  had 
been  raised,  he  pulled  it  down  with  his  own  hands.  He  then 
entered  the  lodge,  and  addressing  the  chief  calmly  but  firmly,  told 
him  that  it  was  an  indignity  which  they  could  not  be  permitted 
to  offer ;  that  the  flag  was  the  distinguishing  symbol  of  nationality ; 
that  two  flags  of  diverse  kind  could  not  wave  in  peace  upon  the 
same  territory ;  that  they  were  forbid  the  use  of  any  but  our  own, 
and  should  they  again  attempt  it,  the  United  States  would  set  a 
strong  foot  upon  their  rock  and  crush  them.  He  then  brought 
the  captured  flag  with  him  to  his  tent. 

In  a  few  moments  after  his  return  from  the  Indian  camp,  that 
camp  was  cleared  by  the  Indians  of  their  women  and  children, 
who  fled  with  precipitation  in  their  canoes  across  the  river.  Thus 
prepared  for  battle,  we  momently  expected  to  hear  the  war-whoop. 
I  had  myself  examined  and  filled  my  shot-pouch,  and  stood  ready, 
rifle  in  hand,  \vith  my  companions,  awaiting  their  attack.  But 
we  waited  in  vain.  It  was  an  hour  of  indecision  among  the 
Indians.  They  deliberated,  doubtingly,  and  it  soon  became  evident 
that  the  crisis  had  passed.  Finding  no  hostile  demonstration 
from  the  hill,  Lieuts.  Pierce  and  Mackay  directed  their  respective 
commands  to  retire  to  their  tents. 

The  intrepid  act  of  Governor  Cass  had  struck  the  Indians  with 
amazement,  while  it  betokened  a  knowledge  of  Indian  character 
of  which  we  never  dreamed.  This  people  possess  a  singular 
respect  for  bravery.  The  march  of  our  force,  on  that  occasion, 
would  have  been  responded  to,  instantly,  by  eighty  or  a  hun- 
dred Indian  guns ;  but  to  behold  an  unarmed  man  walk  boldly 
into  their  camp  and  seize  the  symbol  of  their  power,  betokened 
a  cast  of  character  which  brought  them  to  reflection.  On  one 
person  in  particular  the  act  had  a  controlling  effect.  "When  it 
was  told  to  the  daughter  of  Wabojeeg  (Mrs.  Johnston),  she  told 
the  chief  that  their  meditated  scheme  of  resistance  to  the  Ame- 
ricans was  madness ;  the  day  for  such  resistance  was  passed ;  and 
this  man,  Cass,  had  the  air  of  a  great  man,  and  could  carry 
his  flag  through  the  country.  The  party  were  also  under  the 
hospitality  of  her  roof.     She  counselled  peace.     To  these  words 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  81 

Shingabowassin  responded ;  he  was  seconded  by  Sluugwakonce, 
or  tlie  Little  Pine.  Of  this  effort  we  knew  nothing  at  tlie  moment, 
but  the  facts  were  afterwards  learned.  It  was  evident,  before  the 
day  had  passed,  that  a  better  state  of  feeling  existed  among  the 
■Indians.  The  chief  Shingabowassin,  under  the  friendly  influences 
referred  to,  renewed  the  negotiations.  Towards  evening  a  council 
of  the  chiefs  was  convened  in  one  of  the  buildings  of  this  Poca- 
hontean  counsellor,  and  the  treaty  of  the  IGtli  June,  1820  {vide 
Ind.  Treaties  United  States)  signed.  In  this  treaty  every  leading 
man  united,  except  Sassaba.  The  Little  Pine  signed  it,  under 
one  of  his  synonymous  names,  Lavoine  Bart.  By  this  treaty 
the  Chippewas  cede  four  miles  square,  reserving  the  right  of  a 
place  to  fish  at  the  rapids,  perpetually.  The  consideration  for 
this  cession,  or  acknowledgment  of  title,  was  promptly  paid  in 
merchandise. 

The  way  being  thus  prepared  for  our  entry  into  Lake  Superior, 
it  was  decided  to  proceed  the  next  day.  Before  leaving  this 
point,  it  may  be  observed  that  the  falls  are  produced  by  a  stratum 
of  red  sandstone  rock,  which  crosses  the  bed  of  the  St.  Mary's  at 
this  place.  The  last  calcareous  formation,  seen  in  ascending  the 
straits,  is  at  Isle  a  la  Crosse.  As  we  proceed  north,  the  erratic 
block  stratum  becomes  heavier,  and  abraded  masses  of  the  granite, 
trap,  sandstone,  and  hornblende  series  are  confusedly  piled  together 
on  the  lake  shores,  and  are  abundant  at  the  foot  of  these  falls.  In 
the  central  or  middle  channel,  the  waters  leap  from  a  moderate 
height,  from  stratum  to  stratum,  at  two  or  three  points,  producing 
the  appearance,  when  seen  from  below,  of  a  mass  of  tumbling  waves. 
The  French  word  Sault  (pronounced  so)  accurately  expresses  this 
kind  of  pitching  rapids  or  falls.  The  Indians  call  it  Bawateeg,  or 
Pawateeg,  when  speaking  of  the  phenomenon,  and  Bawating  or 
Pawating,  when  referring  to  the  place.  Paugwa  is  an  expression 
denoting  shallow  water  on  rocks.  The  inflection  eeg  is  an  ani- 
mate plural.  Ing  is  the  local  terminal  form  of  nouns.  In  the 
south  or  American  channel,  there  is  no  positive  leap  of  the  water, 
but  an  intensely  swift  current,  which  is  parted  by  violent  jets, 
between  rocks,  still  pe/mitting  canoes,  skilfully  guided,  to  de- 
scend, and  empty  boats  to  be  drawn  up.  But  these  falls  are  a 
complete  check  to  ship  navigation.  The  descent  of  water  has 
been  stated  by  Colonel  Gratiot,  of  the  United  States  Engineers, 
6 


82  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

at  tweuty-two  feet  ten  inclies*  They  resemble  a  bank  of  rolling 
foam,  and  witli  their  drapery  of  trees  on  either  shore^  and  the 
mountains  of  Lake  Superior  in  the  distance,  and  the  moving 
canoes  of  fishing  Indians  in  the  foreground,  present  a  most 
animated  and  picturesque  view. 

To  the  Chippewas,  who  regard  this  spot  as  their  ancient  capital, 
i,t  is  doubtless  fraught  with  many  associations,  and  they  regard 
with  jealousy  the  advance  of  the  Americans  to  this  quarter. 
This  tribe,  in  the  absence  of  any  older  traditions,  are  regarded  as 
the  aboriginal  inhabitants  of  the  place.  They  are,  by  their  lan- 
guage, Algonquins,  and  speak  a  pure  dialect  of  it.  They  call 
themselves  Ojibwas.  Biva.,  in  this  language,  denotes  voice.  Ojib- 
wamong  signifies  Chippewa  language,  or  voice.  It  is  not  mani- 
fest what  the  prefixed  syllable  denotes.  They  are  a  numerous 
people,  and  spread  over  many  degrees  of  latitude  and  longitude. 
We  have  had  them  constantly  around  ns,  in  some  form,  since 
leaving  Detroit,  and  they  extend  to  the  Great  "Winnipeg  Lake 
of  Hudson's  Bay.  They  appear,  at  the  French  era  of  discovery, 
to  have  been  confined  almost  exclusively  to  the  north  bank  of 
the  St.  Lawrence,  below  the  influx  of  the  Ottowa  Eiver,  extend- 
ing to  Lake  Nepising,  and  the  geographical  position  seems  to 
have  been  the  origin  of  the  name  Algonquin, 

Whilst  encamped  here,  we  witnessed  the  descent  down  the 
rapids  of  eleven  barges  and  canoes  laden  with  furs  from  the  north. 
This  trade  forms  tlie  engrossing  topic,  at  this  point,  with  all 
classes.  Hazardous  as  it  is,  the  pursuit  does  not  fail  to  attract 
adventurers,  who  appear  to  be  fascinated  with  the  wild  freedom 
of  life  in  the  wilderness. 

*  St.  Mart's  Canal. — Thirty-three  years  have  produced  an  astonishing  pro- 
gress. A  ship-canal  is  now  (1853)  in  the  process  of  being  constructed  at  these 
falls,  by  the  State  of  Michigan,  under  a  grant  of  public  land  for  that  purpose, 
from  Congress.  It  is  to  consist  of  two  locks  of  equal  lift,  dividing  the  aggregate 
fall.  This  canal  wiU  add  the  basin  of  Lake  Superior  to  the  line  of  lake  nayiga- 
tion.  It  will  enable  ships  and  steamers  to  enter  the  St.  Louis  Hirer  of  Fond  du 
Lac,  and  to  reach  a  point  in  latitude  corresponding  to  Independence,  on  the  Mis- 
souri. No  other  point  of  the  lake  chain  reaches  so  far  by  some  hundreds  of 
miles  towards  the  Rocky  Mountains  ;  and  this  canal  will  eventually  be  the  outlet  to 
the  Atlantic  cities  of  the  copper  and  other  mines  of  Lake  Superior,  and  of  the 
agricultural  and  mineral  products  of  all  the  higher  States  of  the  Upper  Mississippi 
and  of  the  Missouri,  and  a  part  of  Oregon  and  Washington  on  the  Pacific. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  83 


CHAPTER   V. 

Embark  at  the  head  of  the  portage  at  St.  Mary's. — Entrance  into  Lake  Superior — • 
Journey  and  incidents  along  its  coasts — Great  Sand  Dunes  —  Pictured  Rocks  — 
Grand  Island — Keweena  peninsula  and  portage — Incidents  thence  to  Ontonagon 
River. 

Having  accomplislied  the  object  of  our  visit,  at  tliis  place, 
no  time  was  lost  in  pushing  our  way  into  the  basin  of  Lake 
Superior.  The  distance  to  it  is  computed  to  be  fifteen  miles 
above  the  Sault.  It  was  nine  o'clock  of  the  morning  following 
the  day  of  the  treat}*,  when  the  men  began  to  take  the  canoes  up 
the  raj)ids,  and  transport  the  provisions  and  baggage.  This 
occupied  nearly  the  whole  of  the  day.  Taking  leave  of  Lieu- 
tenant Pierce,  who  returned  with  his  command,  from  this  point, 
and  our  hospitable  hostess,  we  proceeded  to  the  head  of  the  port- 
age, long  before  the  canoes  and  stores  all  arrived.  To  while 
away  the  time,  while  the  men  were  thus  employed,  we  tried  our 
skill  at  rifle  shooting.  It  was  six  o'clock  in  the  evening  before 
the  work  of  transportation  was  finished,  and  the  canoes  loaded, 
when  we  embarked.  The  view  from  the  head  of  the  portage  is 
imposing.  The  river  spreads  out  like  an  arm  of  the  sea.  In  the 
distance  appear  the  mountains  of  Lake  Superior. 

We  proceeded  two  leagues,  and  encamped  at  Point  aus  Pins, 
on  the  Canadian  shore.  At  six  o'clock  the  next  morning  we 
were  again  in  our  canoes,  and  crossed  the  strait,  which  is  here 
several  leagues  wide,  to  the  west,  or  Point  Iroquois  Cape.  In  this 
traverse  we  first  beheld  the  entrance  into  Lake  Superior.  The 
scene  is  magnificent,  and  I  could  fully  subscribe  to  the  remark 
made  by  Carver,  "  that  the  entrance  into  Lake  Superior  affords 
one  of  the  most  pleasing  prospects  in  the  world."  The  morning 
was  clear  and  pleasant,  with  a  favoring  breeze,  but  a  tempest  of 
wind  and  rain  arose,  with  severe  thunder,  soon  after  we  had 


84  NAREATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

accomplislied  tlie  passage,  -vvhicli  compelled  us  hastily  to  land  on 
the  Point  Iroquois  shore.  This  storm  detained  us  five  or  six 
hours  before  the  waters  were  snihciently  calm  to  embark.  Among 
the  boulders,  I  picked  up  a  fine  specimen  of  graphic  granite, 
most  perfectly  characterized.  About  two  o'clock,  we  entered  this 
great  inland  sea.  How  feeble  and  inadequate  are  all  geographical 
attempts  to  describe  this  vast  body  of  water,  with  its  imposing 
headlands,  shores,  and  islands.  The  St.  Mary's  Eiver  passes  out 
between  two  prominent  capes,  called  Gros  Cape  and  Point  Iro- 
quois, The  former  rises  up  in  elevated  barren  peaks  of  sienite  and 
hornblende  rock;  the  latter  consists  of  nearly  equally  elevated 
masses  of  horizontal  red  sandstone,  covered  with  a  dense  forest.  The 
line  of  separation  is,  perhaps,  three  leagues,  forming  a  geological 
gap,  through  which,  at  ancient  periods,  the  drift  and  boulder 
strata  has  been  forced,  with  an  amazing  power.  For  we  find 
these  boulders,  of  the  disrupted  sienites,  hornblende,  trap,  and 
sandstone  rocks  of  these  northern  latitudes  heaped  in  profusion 
along  the  entire  shores  of  the  river,  and  cast  out,  far  and  wide, 
into  the  basin  of  Lake  Huron. 

There  is  a  little  island,  called  Isle  des  Iroquois,  just  off  the  foot 
of  the  American  cape,  which  is  a  noted  stopping-place  for  boat 
and  canoe  voyagers.     On  passing  this  spot,  the  lake  spreads  out 
like  a  sea.     Towards  the  north,  can  be  seen  on  the  horizon  the 
blue  peaks  of  distant  mountains.     Southerly,  the  Point  Iroquois 
formation  of  sandstone  appears  skirting  the  shore,  at  several  miles 
distance.    At  the  computed  distance  of  fifteen  miles,  we  passed  the 
mouth  of  the  Taquimenon  Eiver.   It  was  already  evening  when  we 
came  here,  but  we  were  far  out  from  shore,  and  the  guides  thought 
best  to  keep  on  their  course  a  league  farther,  which  brought  us, 
at  11  o'clock  at  night,  into  the  mouth  of  the  Onzig,  or  Shelldrake 
Eiver.     At  this  spot,  we  found  an  encampment  of  Chippewa 
Indians,  who  were  friendly,  and  quite  profuse  in  their  salutation 
of  hosJio:    At  the  moment  we  were  ready  to  embark,  the  next 
morning,  a  brigade  of  traders'  boats,  on  the  route  to  Michili- 
mackinac,  was  descried,  coming  in  to  the  same  point.     This  inter- 
view detained  us  till  8  o'clock.     Within  a  league,  we  met  eighteen 
or  twenty  Chippewa  canoes  on  their  journey  towards  the  same 
point ;    and  at  the  computed  distance  of  three  leagues  from  the 
Onzig,  we  reached,  and  turned  the  bleak  shores  of  White-Fish 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION,  85 

Point,  called  Namikong*  by  the  Indians.  Thus  far,  wc  had  been 
imbayed  in  an  arm  of  the  lake  which  embraces  Parisian  Island, 
another  link  of  the  sandstone  formation ;  but  hero  the  lake,  stretch- 
ing westwardly,  displays  itself  in  all  its  magnificence.  On  the  left, 
spreads  a  long  line  of  sandy  coast ;  on  the  right,  an  illimitable 
expanse  of  water,  which  was  bounded  only  by  the  horizon.  Be- 
yond these  features,  there  is  not  a  prominent  object  to  catch  the 
eye.  The  magnificence  which  first  pleases,  at  last  tires.  The 
change  of  course  brought  the  wind  ahead,  and  we  were  soon 
compelled  to  land  on  these  bleak  sandy  wastes.  While  thus 
detained,  an  express  canoe  from  St,  Mary's  reached  us  with  letters. 
A  couple  of  hours  were  employed  in  dispatching  this  canoe  on  its 
return ;  meantime  the  wind  lulled,  and  we  went  on  ten  miles  and 
encamped  on  the  sands. 

The  next  morning,  we  were  again  in  motion  at  five  o'clock. 
Twelve  miles  coasting  along  this  unvaried  shore,  brought  us  to 
the  mouth  of  a  stream  called  Neezhoda,  Seepe,f  or  Twin  Eiver, 
which  is  imprecisely  called  Two-Hearted  River  by  the  traders. 
The  peculiarity  of  this  stream  consists  in  the  union  of  two  sepa- 
rate rivers,  near  the  point  of  its  outlet.  Seven  leagues  beyond 
this  spot  brought  us  to  the  inlet  called  Grande  Marais.  Imme- 
diately west  of  this  begins  an  elevated  naked  coast  of  sand-dunes, 
called  Gitche  Nagow,:}:  or  La  Grande  Sables.  To  comprehend 
the  geology  of  this  coast,  it  is  necessary  to  state  that  it  con- 
sists of  several  heavy  strata  of  the  drift  era,  reaching  a  height 
of  two  or  three  hundred  feet,  with  a  precipitous  front  on  the  lake. 
The  sands  driven  up  by  the  lake  are  blown  over  these  heights, 
forming  a  heavy  deposit.  It  is  this  sandy  deposit,  falling  down 
the  face  of  the  precipice,  that  appears  to  convert  the  whole  for- 
mation into  dunes,  whereon  the  sandy  coating  rests,  like  a  veil, 
over  the  pebble  and  clay-drift.  Their  desert  and  Sahara-like  ap- 
pearance is  quite  impressive  to  the  travellers  who  visit  these  coasts 
in  boats  or  canoes.  The  number  of  rapacious  birds  which  are  ob- 
served about  these  heights,  adds  to  the  interest  of  the  prospect. 
Dr.  Wolcott,  and  some  other  members  of  the  party  who  ascended 
the  formation,  reported  a  small  lake  on  this  elevation.    The  sands 

*  From  na,  excellent;  amik,  beaver;  and  ong,  a  place. 
J  From  oda,  a  heart ;  neezh,  two ;  and  seebe,  a  river. 
J  From  ndgoic,  sand ;  and  gilche,  great. 


86  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

were  observed,  in  some  places,  to  be  deposited  over  its  vegetation 
so  as  to  arrest  its  growth.  The  largest  trees  were  often  half  buried 
and  destroyed.  Not  less  than  nine  miles  of  the  coast,  agreeably 
to  voyageur  estimates,  are  thus  characterized  by  dunes. 

I  found  the  sandstone  formation  of  Cape  Iroquois  to  reappear 
at  the  western  termination  of  these  heights  on  the  open  shores  of 
the  lake,  where  I  noticed  imbedded  nodules  of  granular  gypsum. 
'At  this  point,  known  to  our  men  as  La  Pointe  des  Grandes  Sables, 
we  pitched  our  tents,  at  nightfall,  under  a  very  threatening  state 
of  the  atmosphere.  The  winds  soon  blew  furiously,  followed  by  a 
heavy  rain-storm — and  sharp  thunder  and  lightning  ensued.  Our 
line  of  tents  stood  on  a  gently  rising  beach,  within  fifty  yards  of 
the  margin  of  the  lake,  where  they  were  prostrated  during  the 
night  by  the  violence  of  the  waves.  The  rain  still  continued  at 
early  daylight,  the  waves  dashing  in  long  swells  upon  the  shore. 
At  sunrise  the  tempest  abated,  and  by  eight  o'clock  the  atmo- 
sphere assumed  a  calm  and  delightful  aspect.  It  was  eleven 
o'clock,  however,  before  the  waves  sufficiently  subsided  to  permit 
embarkation.  Indeed,  a  perfect  calm  now  ensued.  This  calm 
proved  very  favorable — as  we  discovered  on  proceeding  three 
leagues — to  our  passing  the  elevated  coast  of  precipitous  rock, 
called  Ishpabeca,*  and  Pictured  Rocks.  This  coast,  which  ex- 
tends twelve  miles,  consists  of  a  gray  sandstone,  forming  a  series 
of  perpendicular  facades,  which  have  been  fretted,  by  the  action 
of  the  waves,  into  the  rude  architecture  of  pillared  masses,  and 
open,  cavernous  arches.  These  caverns  present  their  dark  mouths 
to  observation  as  the  voyager  passes.  At  one  spot  a  small  stream 
throws  itself  from  the  cliffs  into  the  lake  at  one  leap.  In  some 
instances  the  cliffs  assume  a  castellated  appearance.  At  the  spot 
called  the  Doric  Rock,  near  the  commencement  of  these  pictur- 
esque precipices,  a  vast  entablature  rests  on  two  immense  rude  pil- 
lars of  the  water- worn  mass.  At  a  point  called  Le  Portail,  the  vast 
wall  of  rock  had  been  so  completely  excavated  and  undermined 
by  the  lake,  that  a  series  of  heavy  strata  of  rock  rested  solely  on 
a  single  pillar  standing  in  the  lake.  The  day  was  fine  as  we  passed 
these  geological  ruins,  and  we  sat  silently  gazing  on  the  changing 
panorama.     At  one  or  two  points  there  are  small  streams  which 

*  From  iupa,  high  ;  auhilc,  a  rock ;  and  the  substantive  termination,  a. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  87 

break  the  line  of  rock  into  quadrangles.  A  species  of  dark 
red  clay  overlies  this  formation,  wliich  has  been  carried  by  the 
rains  over  the  face  of  the  cliffs,  where,  uniting  with  the  atmo- 
spheric sand  and  dust,  it  gives  the  whole  line  a  pictorial  ap- 
pearance. We  almost  held  our  breath  in  passing  the  coast; 
and  when,  at  night,  we  compared  our  observations  around  the 
camp-fire,  there  was  no  one  who  could  recall  such  a  scene  of 
simple  novelty  and  grandeur  in  any  other  part  of  the  world ;  and 
all  asfreed  that,  if  a  storm  should  have  arisen  while  we  were 
passing,  inevitable  destruction  must  have  been  our  lot.  We 
came  to  Grand  Island  at  a  seasonable  hour  in  the  evening,  and 
encamped  on  the  margin  of  its  deep  and  land-locked  harbor.  Our 
camp  was  soon  filled  with  Chippewas  from  a  neighboring  village. 
They  honored  us  in  the  evening  by  a  dance.  Among  these 
dancers,  we  were  impressed  with  the  bearing  of  a  young  and 
graceful  warrior,  who  was  the  survivor  of  a*  self-devoted  war- 
party  of  thirteen  men,  who,  having  marched  against  their  ancient 
enemies  the  Sioux,  found  themselves  surrounded  in  the  plain  by 
superior  numbers,  and  determined  to  sell  their  lives  at  the  dearest 
rate.  To  this  end,  they  dug  holes  in  the  earth,  each  of  which 
thus  becoming  a  fortification  for  its  inmate,  who  dared  their  ad- 
versaries till  overpowered  by  numbers.  One  person  was  selected 
to  return  with  the  news  of  this  heroic  sacrifice ;  this  person  had 
but  recently  returned,  and  it  was  from  his  lips  that  we  heard  the 
tragic  story. 

My  mineralogical  searches  along  the  shores  this  day  rewarded 
me  \nth.  several  water-worn  fragments  of  agate,  carneliau,  zeolite, 
and  prase,  which  gave  me  the  first  intimation  of  our  approach  to 
the  trap  and  amygdaloidal  strata,  known  to  be  so  abundant  in  their 
mineral  affluence  in  this  quarter. 

We  left  Grand  Island  the  next  morning  at  six  o'clock,  and 
passing  through  a  group  of  sandstone  islands,  some  of  which  had 
had  their  horizontality  disturbed,  we  came  to  the  mouth  of 
Laughing-fish  Eiver,  where  a  curious  flux  and  reflux  of  water  is 
maintained.  From  this  place,  a  line  of  sandstone  coast  was 
passed,  northwardl}'',  till  reaching  its  terminus  on  the  bay  of 
Chocolate  Eiver.  This  is  a  large  and  deep  bay,  which  it  would 
have  required  a  day's  travel  to  circumnavigate.  To  avoid  this,  the 
men  held  their  way  directly  across  it,  steering  N.  70°  W.,  which, 


88  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION, 

at  the  end  of  tliree  leagues,  brouglit  us  to  Granite  Point.  Here 
we  first  struck  the  old  crystalline  rocks  or  primitive  formation. 
This  formation  stretches  from  the  north  shores  of  the  Gitche 
Sebeeng,*  or  Chocolate  Eiver,  to  Huron  Bay,  and  gives  the  tra- 
veller a  view  of  rough  conical  peaks.  These  characterize  the 
coast  for  a  couple  of  days'  travel.  They  are  noted  for  immense 
bodies  of  iron  ore,  which  is  chiefly  in  the  condition  of  iron  glance.f 
At  Presque  Isle,  it  assumes  the  form  of  a  chromate  of  iron  in 
connection  with  serpentine  rock.  We  encamped  on  level  ground 
on  a  sandstone  formation,  in  the  rear  of  Granite  Point,  and  had 
an  opportunity  of  observing  the  remarkable  manner  in  which  the 
horizontal  sandstone  rests  upon  and  against  the  granitical,  or,  more 
truly,  sienitic  eminences.  These  sandstone  strata  lap  on  the 
shoulders  of  the  primitive  or  crystalline  rocks,  preserving  their 
horizontal  aspect,  and  forming  distinct  cliffs  along  parts  of  the 
coast.  This  sandstone  appears,  from  its  texture  and  position,  to 
be  the  "old  red  sandstone"  of  geologists. 

The  next  morning  (23d)  Ave  quitted  our  encampment  at  an 
early  hour,  in  a  haze,  and  urged  our  way,  with  some  fluctuations 
of  weather,  an  estimated  distance  of  eleven  leagues.  This  brought 
us,  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  to  Huron  Eiver.  Sitting  in 
the  canoe,  in  a  confined  position,  makes  one  glad  at  Grery  oppor- 
tunity to  stretch  his  limbs,  and  we  embraced  the  occasion  to 
bathe  in  the  Huron.  The  shore  consists  of  a  sandy  plain,  where 
my  attention  was  called  to  the  Kinnikenik,  a  plant  much  used 
by  the  Indians  for  smoking.  It  is  the  uva  tirsi.  I  had  seen  it 
once  before,  on  the  expedition,  at  Point  aux  Barques. 

We  inspected  here,  with  much  attention,  an  Indian  grave,  as 
well  from  the  care  with  which  it  was  made,  as  the  hieroglyphics 
cut  on  the  head-posts.  The  grave  was  neatly  covered  with  bark, 
bent  over  poles,  and  made  roof-shaped,  A  pine  stake  was  placed 
at  the  head.  Between  this  and  the  head  of  the  grave,  there  was 
placed  a  smooth  tablet  of  cedar  wood,  with  hieroglyphics.  Mr. 
Kiley,  our  interpreter,  explained  these.  The  figure  of  a  bear 
denoted  the  chief  or  clan.  This  is  the  device  called  a  Totem. 
Seven  red  strokes  denoted  his  scalp  honors  in  Indian  heraldry, 

•  From  gitche,  great;  sehee,  a  river;  and  the  local  terminal  ng,  signifying  place. 
■{-  The  extensive  iron  works  of  Carp  River,  which  are  now  yielding  such  fine 
blooms,  are  seated  on  the  verge  of  these  mountains. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION,  89 

or  that  he  had  been  seven  times  in  battle.  Other  marks  were 
not  understood  or  interpreted.  A  paling  of  saplings  inclosed 
the  space. 

On  the  following  morning,  our  camp  was  astir  at  the  customary- 
early  hour,  when  we  proceeded  to  Point  aux  Beignes,  a  distance 
of  six  miles.  Attaining  this  point,  we  entered  Keweena  Bay, 
coasting  up  its  shores  for  an  estimated  distance  of  three  leagues. 
We  were  then  opposite  the  mouth  of  Portage  Eiver,  but  sepa- 
rated from  it  a  distance  of  twelve  miles.  I  was  seated  in  Lieu- 
tenant Mackay's  canoe.  The  whole  squadron  of  five  canoes 
unhesitatingly  put  out.  The  wind  was  adverse;  before  much 
progress  had  been  made  in  crossing,  three  of  our  flotilla,  after 
struggling  against  the  billows,  put  back ;  but  we  followed  the 
headmost  one,  which  bore  the  Governor's  flag,  and,  seizing  hold  of 
the  paddles  to  relieve  the  men,  we  succeeded  in  gaining  the  river. 
The  other  canoes  came  up  the  next  morning,  fit  seven  o'clock, 
when  we  all  proceeded  to  cross  the  Portage  Lake,  and  up  an 
inlet,  which  soon  exhibited  a  rank  growth  of  aquatic  plants,  and 
terminated,  after  following  a  very  narrow  channel,  in  a  quagmire. 
We  had,  in  fact,  reached  the  commencement  of  the  Keweena 
Portage. 

Before  quitting  this  spot,  it  may  be  well  to  say,  that  the  geo- 
logy of  the  country  had  again  changed.  Portage  Lake  lies,  in 
fact,  in  the  direction  of  the  great  copper-bearing  trap  dyke. 
This  dyke,  estimating  from  the  end  of  the  peninsula,  extends 
nearly  southwest  and  northeast,  probably  seventy  miles,  with  a 
breadth  of  ten  miles.  It  is  overlaid  by  rubble-stone  and  amyg- 
daloid, which  latter,  by  disintegration,  yields  the  agates,  carne- 
lians,  and  other  silicious,  and  some  sparry  crystalline  minerals, 
for  which  the  central  shores  of  Lake  Superior  are  remarkable. 
Nearly  every  part  of  this  broad  and  extensive  dyke  which  has 
been  examined,  yields  veins,  and  masses  of  native  copper,  or  cop- 
per ores. 

The  word  was,  when  we  had  pushed  our  canoes  into  the  quag- 
mire, that  each  of  the  gentlemen  of  the  party  was  to  carry  his 
own  personal  baggage  across  the  portage.  This  was  an  awkward 
business  for  most  of  us.  The  distance  was  but  two  thousand 
yards,  but  little  over  a  mile,  across  elevated  open  grounds.  I 
strapped  my  trunk  to  my  shoulders,  and  walked  myself  out  of 


90  NAKEATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITIOI^. 

breath  in  getting  clear  of  the  brush}^  part  of  the  way,  till  reaching 
the  end  of  the  first  pause^  or  resting-place.  Here  I  met  the 
Governor  (Cass),  who  facetiously  said:  "Yon  see  I  am  carrying 
tivo  pieces,"  alluding  to  his  canoe  slippers,  which  he  held  in  his 
hands.     "  A  'piece^''  in  the  trade,  is  the  back  load  of  the  engagee. 

On  reaching  the  termination  of  the  second  "pause,"  or  rest,  we 
found  ourselves  on  a  very  elevated  part  of  the  shore  of  Lake 
Superior,  The  view  was  limitless,  the  horizon  only  bounding 
the  prospect.  The  waves  rolled  in  long  and  furious  swells  from 
the  west.  To  embark  was  impossible,  if  we  had  had  our  bag- 
gage all  brought  up,  which  was  not  the  case.  The  day  was  quite 
spent  before  the  transportation  was  completed.  This  delay  gave 
us  an  opportunity  to  ramble  about,  and  examine  the  shore.  In 
a  boulder  of  serpentine  rock,  I  found  an  imbedded  mass  of  native 
copper,  of  two  pounds'  weight.  On  breaking  the  stone,  it  proved 
to  be  bound  together  by  thin  filaments  of  this  metal.  Small 
water-worn  fragments  of  chalcedony,  agate,  carnelian,  and  other 
species  of  the  quartz  family  were  found  strewn  along  the  beach, 
together  with  fragments  of  zeolite.  Masses  of  the  two  former 
minerals  were  also  found  imbedded  in  amygdaloid  and  trap-rock, 
thu^  denoting  the  parent  beds  of  rock.  In  the  zeal  which  these 
little  discoveries  excited  on  the  subject  of  mineralogy,  the  Chip- 
pewa, Ottowa,  and  Shawnee  Indians  attached  to  the  expedition 
participated,  and'  as  soon  as  they  were  made  acquainted  with  the 
objects  sought,  they  became  successful  explorers.  They  had 
noticed  my  devotion  to  the  topic,  from  the  time  of  our  passing 
the  Islands  of  Shawangunk,  Michilimackinac,  and  Flat-rock  Point, 
in  the  basin  of  Lake  Huron,  where  organic  forms  were  chiselled 
from  the  rock ;  and  bestOAved  on  me  the  name  of  Paguabe- 
kieo-ai.* 

It  turned  out  the  next  morning,  that  the  whole  of  the  baggage 
and  provisions  had  not  been  brought  up,  nor  any  of  the  canoes. 
This  work  was  early  commenced  by  the  men.  About  half  the 
day  was  employed  in  the  necessary  toil.  When  it  was  concluded, 
the  wind  on  the  lake  had  become  too  high,  blowing  in  an  adverse 
direction,  to  permit  embarkation,     Nothing  remained  but  to  sub- 

*  The  equivalent  of  geologist  or  mineralogist,  from  pagua,  a  tabulai*  surface ; 
aubik,  a  rock ;  and  ega,  the  active  voice  of  the  verb  to  strike. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  91 

mit  to  tlic  increased  delay,  during  wliicli  we  made  ourselves  as 
familiar  with  the  neighboring  parts  of  the  lake  shore  as  possible. 
During  the  time  the  expedition  remained  encamped  at  the  port- 
age, I  made  a  short  excursion  up  the  peninsula  northeastwardly, 
accompanied  by  Captain  Douglass,  Mr,  Trowbridge,  and  some 
other  persons.  The  results  of  this  trip  are  sufficiently  compre- 
hended in  what  has  already  been  stated  respecting  the  geology 
and  mineralogy  of  this  prominent  peninsula. 

On  the  following  morning  (27th)  the  wind  proved  fair,  and 
the  day  was  one  of  the  finest  we  had  yet  encountered  on  this 
fretful  inland  sea.  We  embarked  at  half-past  four  A.  M.,  every 
heart  feeling  rejoiced  to  speed  on  our  course.  The  prominent 
headlands,  west  of  this  point,  are  capped,  as  those  on  its  south- 
eastern border,  with  red  sandstone.  The  wind  proved  full  and 
adequate  to  bear  us  on,  without  endangering  our  safety,  which 
enabled  the  steersmen  to  hold  out  boldly,  from  point  to  point. 
"We  had  not  proceeded  far  beyond  the  cliffs  west  of  the  portage, 
when  the  dim  blue  outlines  of  the  Okaug  or  Porcupine  Mountains* 
burst  on  our  view.f  Their  prominent  outline  seemed  to  stretch 
on  the  line  of  the  horizon  directly  across  our  track.  The  atmo- 
sphere was  quite  transparent,  and  they  must  have  been  seen  at 
the  distance  of  sixty  miles.  Captain  Douglass  thought,  from  the 
curve  of  the  earth,  that  they  could  not  be  less  than  eighteen 
hundred  feet  in  height.  We  successively  passed  the  entrance  of 
Little  Salmon-Trout,  Graverod,  Misery,  and  Firesteel  Eivers,  at 
the  latter  of  which  a  landing  was  made  ;  when  we  again  resumed 
our  course,  and  entered  the  Ontonagon  Eiver,  at  half-past  three 
in  the  afternoon,  A  large  body  of  water  enters  the  lake  at  the 
spot,  but  its  mouth  is  filled  up  very  much  by  sands.  One  of 
those  curious  refluxes  is  seen  here,  of  which  a  prior  instance  has 
been  noticed,  in  which  its  waters,  having  been  impeded  and  dammed 
up  by  gales  of  wind,  react,  at  their  cessation,  with  unusual  force. 
The  name  of  the  Eiver  Ontonagon:}:  is,  indeed,  due  to  these  re- 
fluxes, the  prized  dish  of  an  Indian  female  having,  agreeably  to 
tradition,  been  carried  out  of  the  river  into  the  lake. 

Captain  Douglass  made  observations  for  the  latitude  of  the 

*  From  kaug,  a  porcupine. 

f  For  the  view  of  this  scene,  see  Information  on  the  History,  Condition,  and 
Prospects  of  the  Indian  Tribes,  vol.  iv.  Title  iv. 

X  From  the  expression  nontonajon,  my  dish ;  and  neen,  the  pronoun  mi/. 


92 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 


place,  and  determined  it  to  be  in  north,  latitude  46°  62'  2".  The 
stationary  distances  of  the  route  are  given  in  the  subjoined  list, 
in  which  it  may  be  observed  that  they  are  probably  exaggerated 
about  one-third  by  the  voyagers  and  northwest  traders,  wbo 
always  pride  thiemselves  on  going  great  distances ;  but  they  de- 
note very  well,  in  all  cases,  the  relative  distances. 


Stationary  Distances  hetween  Michilimackinac  and  the  River 
Ontonagon. 


From  Michilimackinac  to  Detour 

Thence  to  Sault  de  St.  Marie 

Point  aux  Pins  .... 

Point  Iroquois,  at  the  entrance  into  Lake 

Superior 
Taquamenon  Eiver 
Shelldrake  Eiver 
White-Fish  Point 
Two-Hearted  Eiver 
Grande    Marrais,    and   commencement   of 

Grande  Sables 
La  Point  la  Grande  Sables 
Pictured  Eocks  (La  Portaille)    . 
Doric  Eock,  and  Miner's  Eiver  . 
Grande  Island    .        ■.         .         . 
Eiver  aux  Trains 
Isle  aux  Trains 
Laughing-Fish  Eiver 
Chocolate  Eiver 

Dead  Eiver  (in  Presque  Isle  Bay) 
Granite  Point     .... 
Garlic  Eiver       .... 
St.  John's  Eiver,  or  Yellow  Dog  Eun 
Salmon-Trout,  or  Burnt  Eiver 
Pine  Eiver 
Huron  Eiver  (Huron  Islands  lie  off  this 

Eiver)     ....... 

Point  auxBeignes  (east  Cape  of  Keweena  Bay)  6 


Total 

Miles. 

Miles. 

40 

45 

85 

6 

91 

9 

100 

15 

115 

9 

124 

9 

133 

24 

157 

21 

178 

9 

187 

12 

199 

6 

205 

12 

217 

9 

226 

3 

229 

6 

235 

15 

250 

6 

256 

6 

262 

9 

271 

15 

286 

12 

•298 

6 

304 

9 

313 

v)  6 

319 

NAKRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  93 


MoiTth  of  Portage  Eiver    .... 
Head  of  Portage  River  (through  Keweena 

Lake) 

Lake  Superior,  at  the  head  of  the  Portage 

Little  Salmon-Trout  River 

Graverod's  River  (small,  with  flat  rocks  at 

its  mouth)       .         .         .         . 
Riviere  au  Mis5re      ..... 

Piresteel  River 

Ontonagon,  or  Coppermine  River 


Total 

^lilcs. 

Miles. 

21 

8-10 

24 

864 

1 

805 

9 

374 

6 

380 

12 

892 

18 

410 

6 

416 

94  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

Chippewa  Tillage  at  the  mouth  of  the  Ontonagon — Organize  an  expedition  to  ex- 
plore its  mineralogy — Incidents  of  the  trip — Rough  nature  of  the  country — 
Reach  the  copper  rock — Misadventure — Kill  a  bear — Discoveries  of  copper — 
General  remarks  on  the  mineral  aflBuence  of  the  basin  of  Lake  Superior. 

A  SMALL  Chippewa  village,  under  tlie  chieftainsliip  of  TsliAvee- 
tshweesli-ke-wa,  or  the  Plover,  and  Kundekund,  the  Net  Buoy, 
was  found  on  the  west  bank  of  the  river,  near  its  mouth,  the  chiefs 
and  warriors  of  which  received  us  in  the  most  friendly  man- 
ner. If  not  originally  a  people  of  a  serene  and  placid  tempera- 
ment, they  have  been  so  long  in  habits  of  intercourse  with  the 
white  race  that  they  are  quite  familiar  with  their  manners  and 
customs,  and  mode  of  doing  business.  They  appeared  to  regard  the 
Canadian-Frenchmen  of  our  party  as  if  they  were  of  their  own 
mode  of  thinking,  and,  indeed,  almost  identical  with  themselves. 

The  Ontonagon  Eiver  had,  from  the  outset,  formed  an  object 
of  examination,  from  the  early  and  continued  reports  of  copper 
on  its  borders.  It  was  determined  to  lose  no  time  in  examining 
it.  Guides  were  furnished  to  conduct  a  party  up  the  river  to 
the  locality  of  the  large  mass  of  this  metal,  known  from  early 
daj^s.  This  being  one  of  the  peculiar  duties  of  my  appointment, 
I  felt  the  deepest  interest  in  its  success,  and  took  with  me  the 
apparatus  I  had  brought  for  cutting  the  rock  and  securing  prober 
specimens. 

The  party  consisted  of  Governor  Cass,  Dr.  Wolcott,  Captain 
Douglass,  Lieutenant  Mackay,  J.  D.  Doty,  Esq.,  and  myself.  "We 
embarked  in  two  canoes,  with  their  complement  of  men  and 
guides.  It  was  six  o'clock,  when,  leaving  the  balance  of  the  ex- 
pedition encamped  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  east  shore,  we  took 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  95 

our  departure,  in  liigh  spirits,  for  tlie  copper  regions.  A  broad 
river  "with  a  deep  and  gentle  current,  with  a  serpentine  channel, 
and  heavily  wooded  banks  with  their  dark-green  foliage  over- 
hanging the  water,  rendered  the  first  few  miles  of  the  trip  de- 
lightful. At  the  distance  of  four  miles,  we  reached  a  sturgeon- 
fishery,  formed  by  extending  a  weir  across  the  river.  This  weir  con- 
sists of  upright  and  horizontal  stakes  and  poles,  along  the  latter  of 
which  the  Indians  move  and  balance  themselves,  having  in  their 
hands  an  iron  hook  on  a  pole,  with  which  the  fish  are  caught. 
We  stopped  a  few  moments  to  look  at  the  process,  received  some 
of  the  fish  drawn  up  during  our  stay,  which  are  evidently  the 
Acipenser  oxyrinclius^  and  went  on  a  couple  of  miles  higher,  where 
we  encamped  on  a  sandbar.  Here  we  were  welcomed,  during 
the  sombre  hours  of  the  night,  with  a  pertinacity  we  could  have 
well  dispensed  with,  by  the  mosquitos. 

We  resumed  the  ascent  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The 
tiver  is  still  characterized  for  some  miles  by  rich  alluvial  banks, 
bearing  a  dense  forest  of  elm,  maple,  and  walnut,  with  a  luxu- 
riant growth  of  underbrush.  But  it  was  soon  perceived  that  the 
highlands  close  in  upon  it  and  narrow  its  channel,  whi(Ji  mur- 
murs over  dangerous  beds  of  rocks  and  stones.  Almost  imper- 
ceptibly, we  found  ourselves  in  an  alpine  region  of  a  very  rugged 
character.  The  first  rapid  water  encountered  had  been  at  the 
Indian  wier,  on  the  27th.  These  rapids,  though  presenting 
slight  obstacles,  became  more  frequent  at  higher  points.  We 
had  been  in  our  canoes  about  three  hours,  the  river  having  be- 
come narrower  and  more  rapid,  when  the  guides  informed  the 
party  that  we  had  ascended  as  far  into  the  mountainous  district 
as  was  practicable ;  that  there  was  a  series  of  bad  rapids  above ; 
and  that,  by  landing  at  this  spot,  the  party  could  proceed,  with 
guides,  to  the  locality  of  the  copper  rock.  Accordingly,  arrange- 
ments were  made  to  divide  the  party ;  Governor  Cass  placed  at 
my  service  the  number  of  men  necessary  to  explore  the  country 
on  foot,  and  carry  the  implements.  Dr.  Wolcott  and  Captain 
Douglass  joined  me.  I  took  my  departure  with  eight  persons, 
including  two  Indian  guides,  in  quest  of  the  mineral  region,  over 
the  highlands  on  the  west  bank  of  the  river;  while  the  Governor, 
Major  Forsyth,  and  the  other  guides,  remained  with  the  canoes. 


96  NAERATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

whicli  were  liglitened  of  half  their  burden,  in  hopes  of  their  being 
able  to  ascend  the  stream  quite  to  the  Eock.  Starting  with  my 
party  with  alacrity,  this  trip  was  found  to  be  one  of  no  ordinary 
toil. 

Not  only  was  the  country  exceedingly  rough,  carrying  us  up 
'and  down  steep  depressions,  but  the  heat  of  the  sun,  together 
with  the  exercise,  was  oppressive,  nor  did  our  guides  seem  to 
move  with  a  precision  which  betokened  much  familiarity  with 
the  region,  if  they  did  not  feel,  indeed,  some  compunction  on 
leading  whites  to  view  their  long  superstitiously  concealed  mine- 
ral treasures.  At  one  o'clock  we  came  to  an  Indian  path,  leading 
directly  to  the  place.  The  guides  here  sat  down  to  await  the  party 
under  Governor  Cass,  who  were  expected  to  join  us  at  this  spot. 
The  thermometer  at  this  hour  stood  at  90"  in  the  shade  of  the 
forest.  We  had  not  been  long  seated  when  the  other  party  made 
their  appearance ;  but  the  Governor  had  been  so  much  exhausted 
by  clambering  up  the  river  hills,  that  he  determined  to  return  to 
his  point  of  landing  in  the  river.  In  this  attempt  he  was  guided 
by  one  of  the  Ontonagon  Indians,  named  Wabiskipenais,*  who 
missed  his  way,  and  wandered  about  he  knew  not  whither.  We 
leave  him  to  thread  his  way  back  into  the  valley,  with  the  Execu- 
tive of  the  Territory,  wearied  and  perplexed,  at  his  heels,  while 
the  results  of  my  excursion  in  search  of  the  copper  rock  are  de- 
tailed. After  the  reunion  at  the  path,  my  mineralogical  party 
proceeded  some  five  or  six  miles,  by  estimation,  farther,  through 
a  more  favorable  region,  towards  the  object  of  search.  On 
approaching  the  river,  they  passed  some  antique  excavations 
in  the  forest,  overgrown  with  saplings,  which  had  the  appearance 
of  age,  but  not  of  a  remote  age.  ,  Coming  to  the  brink  of  the 
river,  we  beheld  the  stream  brawling  over  a  rapid  stony  bed, 
at  the  depth  of,  perhaps,  eighty  or  a  hundred  feet  below.  To- 
wards this,  its  diluvial,  banks,  charged  with  boulders  and  pebbles, 
sloped  at  a  steep  angle.  At  the  foot,  laid  the  large  mass  we  were 
in  search  of,  partly  immersed  in  the  water.  Its  position  may  be 
inferred  from  the  following  sketch : — 

*  From  wahiska,  Tvhite  (transitive  animate),  &u<\.  penasee,  a  bird. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 
Fig.  1. 


97 


The  rock  consists  of  a  mass  of  native  copper  in  a  tabular 
boulder  of  serpentine.  Its,  face  is  almost  purely  metallic,  and 
more  splendent  than  appears  to  consist  with  its  being  purely 
metallic  copper.  There  is  no  appearance  of  oxidation.  Its  size, 
roughly  measured,  is  three  feet  four  inches,  by  three  feet  eight 
inches,  and  about  twelve  or  fourteen  inches  thick  in  the  thickest 
part.  The  weight  of  copper,  exclusive  of  the  rock,  is  not  readily 
estimated ;  it  may  be  a  ton,  or  a  ton  and  a  half.  Old  authors 
report  it  at  more  than  double  this  weight.  The  quantity  has 
been,  however,  much  diminished  by  visitors,  who  have  cut  freely 
from  it.  I  obtained  adequate  specimens,  but  found  my  chisels  too 
highly  tempered,  and  my  hammer  not  heavy  enough  to  separate 
large  masses.  Having  made  the  necessary  examinations,  we  took 
our  way  back  up  the  elevated  banks  of  the  river,  and  across  the 
forest  about  six  miles,  to  the  final  place  of  debarkation  of  Gov. 
Cass  and  his  party.  But  our  fears  were  at  once  excited  on  learn- 
ing that  the  Governor,  with  his  guide,  Wabishkepenais,  had  not 
reached  the  camp.  It  was  already  beginning  to  be  dark,  and  the 
gloom  of  night,  which  is  impressive  in  these  solitudes,  was  fast 
closing  around  us.  Guns  were  fired,  to  denote  our  position,  and 
a  light  canoe  was  immediately  manned,  placed  in  charge  of  one 
of  the  gentlemen,  and  sent  up  the  river  in  search.  This  canoe 
had  not  proceeded  a  mile,  when  the  object  of  search  was  descried, 
with  his  companions,  sitting  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  with  a 
real  jaded  air,  with  his  Indian  guide  standing  at  no  great  dis- 
tance. Wabishkepenais  had  been  bewildered  in  his  tracks,  and 
7 


98  NAEKATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

finally  struck  the  river  by  the  merest  chance.  The  Governor,  on 
reaching  camp,  looked  as  if  he  had  been  carried  over  steeps  and 
through  gloomy  defiles,  which  had  completely  exhausted  his 
strength,  and  he  was  not  long  in  retiring  to  his  tent,  willing  to 
leave  such  rough  explorations  for  the  present,  at  least,  to  other  per- 
sons, or,  if  he  ever  resumed  them,  to  do  it  with  better  guides.  Poor 
Wabishkepenais  looked  chagrined  and  as  woebegone  himself  as 
if  he  had  encountered  the  bad  influences  of  half  the  spirits  of 
his  Indian  mythology  ;  for  the  fellow  had  really  been  lost  in  his 
own  woods,  and  with  a  charge  by  whom  he  had  felt  honored,  and 
employed  his  best  skill  to  conduct.  The  camp-fires  already  threw 
their  red  glare  among  the  trees  as  night  spread  her  sable  pall 
over  us.  The  tents  were  pitched ;  the  canoes  turned  up  on  the 
shore  to  serve  as  a  canopy  for  the  men  to  sleep  under.  Indians 
and  Canadians  were  soon  engaged  at  their  favorite  pipes,  and 
mingled  their  tones  and  hilarious  conversation ;  and  we  finally 
all  slept  the  sounder  for  our  eventful  day's  toils  and  misadven- 
tures. But  deeply  printed  on  our  memory,  and  long  to  remain 
there,  are  the  thrilling  scenes  of  that  day  and  that  night. 

At  five  o'clock  the  next  morning,  the  entire  camp  was  roused 
and  in  motion,  when  we  began  to  descend  the  stream.  We  had 
descended  about  ten  miles,  when  the  Ontonagon  Indians  stopped 
the  canoes  to  examine  a  bear-fall,  on  the  east  bank.  It  was  a  fine 
open  forest,  elevated  some  six  or  eight  feet  above  the  water.  It 
was  soon  announced  that  a  bear  was  entrapped.  We  all  ascended 
the  bank,  and  visited  the  locality.  The  structure  had  been  so 
planned  that  the  animal  must  needs  creep  lowly  under  a  crib  of 
logs  to  get  at  the  bait,  which  he  no  sooner  disturbed  than  a  weight 
of  logs  fell  on  his  prostrated  legs.  The  animal  sat  up  partially 
on  his  fore  paws,  when  we  advanced,  the  hinder  being  pressed 
heavily  to  the  earth.  One  of  the  Indians  soon  fired  a  ball  through 
his  head,  but  it  did  not  kill  him,  he  still  kept  his  upright  posi- 
tion. Dr.  Wolcott  then  requested  permission  to  fire  a  shot, 
which  was  aimed  at  the  heart,  and  took  eSect  about  that  part, 
but  did  not  kill  him.  One  of  the  Indians  then  dispatched  him 
with  an  axe.  He  was  no  sooner  dead  than  one  of  the  Indians, 
stepping  up,  addressed  him  by  the  name  3Iuk-wah,  shook  him  by 
the  paw,  with  a  smiling  countenance,  saying,  in  the  Indian  lan- 
guage, that  he  was  sorry  they  had  been  under  the  necessity  of 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  99 

killing  him,  and  hoped  the  offence  would  be  forgiven,  as  one  of 
the  shots  fired  had  been  from  an  American  * 

This  act  of  the  Indian  addressing  the  bear,  will  be  better 
understood,  when  it  is  stated  that  their  mythology  tells  them,  that 
the  spirit  of  the  animal  must  be  encountered  in  a  future  state, 
when  the  enchantment  to  which  it  is  condemned  in  this  life,  will 
be  taken  off. 

On  passing  do^m  the  river,  an  Indian  had  promised  to  disclose 
another  mass  of  native  copper,  near  the  river,  and  we  stopped  at 
a  spot  indicated,  to  enable  him  to  bring  it.  Whether  he  repented 
of  his  too  free  ofier,  agreeably  to  Indian  superstition,  or  feared 
some  calamity  to  follow  the  disclosure,  or  really  encountered 
some  difficulty  in  finding  it,  I  know  not,  but  it  is  certain  that, 
after  some  time  spent  in  the  search,  or  afi'ected  search,  he  came 
back  to  the  river  without  producing  it. 

Soon  after  this  incident,  we  reached  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
and  found  the  party  left  encamped  at  that  point,  in  charge  of 
Mr.  Trowbridge  and  Mr.  Doty,  well,  nothing  having  occurred  in 
our  absence.  The  wind  was,  however,  adverse  to  our  embarka- 
tion, had  it  been  immediately  desired. 

A  council  of  the  Ontonagon  Indians  was  summoned,  which 
met  in  the  after  part  of  the  day;  speeches  were  delivered,  and  re- 
plied to,  and  presents  distributed.  A  silver  medal  was  presented 
to  Wabishkepenais. 

Head  winds  continuing,  we  were  farther  detained  at  this  spot 
the  following  da}'".  While  thus  detained,  an  Ontonagon  Indian 
brought  in  a  mass  of  native  copper,  from  the  banks  of  this  river, 
weighing  eight  or  nine  pounds.  This  mass  was  of  a  flattened, 
orbicular  shape,  and  its  surface  coated  with  a  green  oxide.  At  a 
subsequent  part  of  my  acquaintance  with  this  river,  another  mass 
of  native  copper  (still  deposited  in  my  cabinet)  was  brought  to  me, 
from  the  east  fork  of  the  river,  which  weighed  from  forty  to  fifty 
pounds.  This  mass,  of  a  columnar  shape,  originally  embraced  a 
piece  of  stone  which  the  Indian  finding  it  had  detached.  It  was 
also  coated  with  a  dark  green  oxide  of  copper.  Both  of  these 
masses  appeared  to  have  been  volcanic.  Neither  of  them  had 
the  slightest  traces  of  gangue,  or  vein-matter,  nor  of  attrition  in 

*  Cliemoquiman,  from  gitchee,  great,  aud  moquiman,  kuife. 


100 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 


being  removed  from  the  parent  beds.     The  following  sketches 
depict  the  shapes  of  these  masses. 


Fig.  2. 


Fig.  3. 


With  respect  to  the  general  question  of  the  mineral  character 
of  this  part  of  the  country,  and  the  probable  value  of  its  mineral 
and  metallic  deposits  to  the  public  domain,  the  entire  class  of 
facts,  from  which  a  judgment  must  be  formed,  are  favorable.* 
Salts  and  oxides  of  copper  are  not  only  seen  in  various  places  in 
its  stratification,  but  these  indications  of  mineral  wealth  in  this 
article  are  confirmed,  by  the  subsequent  discovery  of  masses  of 
native  copper,  along  the  shore,  and  imbedded  in  its  traps  and 
amygdaloids.  In  addition  to  the  opportunities  of  observation 
furnished  by  this  expedition,  subsequent  public  duties  led  me  to 
perform  seven  separate  trips  along  its  shores,  and  each  of  these 
"  but  served  to  accumulate  the  evidences  of  its  extraordinary 
mineral  wealth.  Indications  of  the  sulphurets,  arseniates,  and 
other  ores  of  this  metal  are  found  in  the  older  class  of  horizontal 
rocks ;  but  it  is  to  the  trap-rocks  alone  that  we  must  look  for 
the  veins  of  native  metal.  Some  of  these  masses  contain  silver, 
in  a  state  of  combination.  Traces  of  this  metal,  chiefly  in  the 
boulder  form,  are  found  in  the  metalliferous  horizontal  strata. 
Nor  is  there  wantino^  evidence,  that  there  are  localities  of  virmn 


*  Vide  Pieports  in  the  Appendix:  1.  Report  on  the  Copper  Mines  of  Lake  Supe- 
rior, November  6,  1820.  2.  Report  on  the  Value  of  the  Existing  Evidences  of 
Mineral  Wealth  in  the  Basin  of  Lake  Superior  to  the  Public  Domain,  October  1, 
1822. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION".  101 

copper,  which  do  not  promise  a  considerable  percentage  of  the 
metal.  A  mass  of  steatite,  imbedding  a  heavy  mass  of  pure 
native  silver,  which  had  been  probably  carried  from  the  north- 
west, with  the  drift  stratum,  was  found  cast  out  quite  into  the 
Huron  basin ;  and  this  rock,  in  its  intimate  associations  with  the 
serpentine  formation  of  Lake  Superior,  should  be  closely  scruti- 
nized. There  is  also  a  formation  of  slate  and  quartz  in  the 
primitive  district,  which  is  entitled  to  particular  attention. 

Inorganic  masses  are  developed,  throughout  the  globe,  without 
regard  to  climate.  Russia  yields  the  precious  metals  in  great 
profusion,  and  there  are  no  laws  governing  the  distribution  of 
these  metals,  which  forbid  the  expectation  that  they  should  be 
abundantly  disclosed  by  the  stratification  of  the  basin  of  Lake 
Superior.  With  respect  to  the  useful  metals,  particularly  copper 
and  iron,  it  is  undeniably  the  richest  and  most  extensive  locality 
of  these  metals  on  the  globe.* 

*  Geological  Report,  vide  Appendix,  v^ 


102  NAKRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

Proceed  along  the  southern  coast  of  Lake  Superior  from  the  Ontonagon,  to  Fond 
du  Lac — Porcupine  range  of  mountains — Streams  that  run  from  it,  at  parallel 
distances,  into  the  lake — La  Pointe — Group  of  the  Federation  Islands — River 
St.  Louis — Physical  geography  of  Lake  Superior. 

Head  winds  detained  the  expedition  at  tlie  moutli  of  the  On- 
tonagon, during  the  day  and  the  day  following  that  of  our  arrival 
from  the  copper  rock.  It  was  the  first  of  July,  at  half-past  four 
o'clock,  A.  M.,  when  the  state  of  the  lake  permitted  us  to  embark. 
Steering  west,  we  now  had  the  prominent  object  of  the  Porcupine 
Mountains  constantly  in  view.  At  the  distance  of  fifteen  miles, 
we  passed  the  Pewabik  Seebe,  or  Iron  Eiver.  This  stream,  after 
ascending  it  a  couple  of  miles,  is  a  mere  torrent,  pouring  from 
the  Porcupine  Mountains,  over  a  very  rough  bed  of  grauwakke, 
which  forbids  all  navigation.  At  the  computed  distance  of  five 
leagues  beyond  this  stream,  we  pafesed  the  river  called  Pusabika, 
or  Dented  Eiver,  so  called  from  standing  rocks,  which  resemble 
broken  human  teeth.  The  Canadians,  who,  as  previously 
remarked,  appear  to  have  had  but  a  limited  geographical  voca- 
bulary, called  this  Carp  River,  neglectful  of  the  fact  that  they 
had  already  bestowed  the  name  on  a  small  river  which  flows  into 
the  bay  south  of  Granite  Point.*  "VVe  were  now  at  the  foot  of 
the  Kaug  range,  which  is  one  vast  upheaval  of  trap-rock,  and 
has  lifted  the  chocolate-colored  sandstone,  at  its  base,  into  a  ver- 
tical position.  The  Pusabika  River  originates  in  this  high  trap 
range,  from  which  it  is  precipitated,  at  successive  leaps,  to  the  level 
of  the  lake,  the  nearest  of  which,  a  cascade  of  forty  feet,  is  within 
three  miles  of  the  river's  mouth. 

Six  miles  further  brought  us  to  the  Presque  Isle  River  of  the 

*  Now  the  seat  of  the  Marquette  Iron  Works. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  103 

Canadians,  for  which  I  heard  no  Indian  name.  It  also  originates 
on  this  lofty  trap  range,  and  has  worn  its  bed  through  frightful 
chasms  in  the  grauwackke,  through  which  it  enters  the  lake. 
Within  half  a  mile  of  its  entrance,  the  river,  hastening  from  its 
elevations,  drops  into  a  vast  cauldron  scooped  in  the  grauwackke 
rock,  whence  it  glides  into  the  lake.  Ilere  are  some  picturesque 
and  sublime  views,  worthy  the  pencil. 

Two  leagues  beyond  this  river  we  reached  and  passed  the 
entrance  of  Black  lliver,  another  of  the  streams  from  the  Kaug 
range.  It  is  stated  to  be  rapid,  and  to  have  its  source  south  of 
the  mountains,  in  a  district  sheltered  from  the  lake  winds,  and 
suited  to  agriculture.  Its  borders  bear  at  the  same  time  indica- 
tions of  mineral  wealth.  Eight  miles  beyond  this  river,  we 
encamped  on  the  open  shores  of  the  lake,  after  travelling  fifty 
miles.  Having  been  doubled  up  in  the  canoe  for  all  this  distance, 
landing  on  terra  firma,  and  being  able  to  stretch  one's  legs,  seemed 
quite  a  relief.  "  I  will  break  a  lance  with  you,"  quoth  A  to  B, 
addressing  Mr.  Trowbridge,  offering  him  at  the  same  time  a  dried 
stalk,  which  had  been  cast  up  by  the  waves.  We  were,  in  fact, 
as  much  pleased  to  get  ashore,  after  the  day's  confinement,  as  so 
many  boys  let  loose  from  confinement  in  school.  In  strolling 
along  the  shore,  I  recognized  the  erismatolite,  in  the  dark  up- 
heaved sandstone  at  this  locality. 

AVe  here  observed  a  phenomenon,  which  is  alluded  to  by  Char- 
levoix as  peculiar  to  this  lake.  Although  it  was  calm,  and  had 
been  so  all  day,  save  a  light  breeze  for  a  couple  of  hours  after 
lea\'ing  the  Ontonagon,  the  waters  near  shore  were  in  a  perfect 
rage,  p^aving  and  lashing  upon  the  rocks,  in  a  manner  which 
rendered  it  difficult  to  land.  At  the  same  time,  scarce  a  breath 
of  air  was  stirring,  and  the  atmosphere  was  beautifully  serene. 

On  passing  thirteen  miles,  the  next  morning,  we  reached  the 
mouth  of  the  Montreal  Kiver,  which  is  the  last  of  the  mountain 
streams  of  the^Baug  range.  It  throws  itself  from  a  high  pre- 
cipice of  the  ^Kical  sand-rock,  within  sight  of  the  lake,  creating 
quite  a  pictur^que  view.*  (Vide  Information  respecting  the  History^ 
Customs^  and  Prospects  of  Indian  Tribes^  vol.  iv.  plate  26.) 

On  landing  here  a  few  moments,  at  an  early  hour,  the  air  being 


*  This  river  has  subsequently  been  fixed  on  as  the  northwestern  boundary  of  the 
State  of  Michigan,  separating  it  from  Wisconsin. 


104  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

hazy,  we  knocked  down  some  pigeons,  which  flew  very  low  * 
This  bird  seems  to  be  precisely  the  common  pigeon  of  the  At- 
lantic borders.  The  Indians  had  constructed  a  iish-weir  between 
the  lake  and  Montreal  falls,  whei'e  the  lake  sturgeon  are  caught. 

After  passing  about  a  league  beyond  the  Montreal,  the  voyager 
reaches  a  curve  in  the  lake  shore,  at  which  it  bends  to  the  north 
and  northwest.  This  curve  is  observed  to  extend  to  the  De  Tour 
of  the  great  bay  of  Fond  du  Lac,  a  computed  distance  of  the 
voyageurs  of  thirty -six  miles,  which,  as  before  indicated,  is  about 
one-third  overrated.  The  immediate  shore  is  a  level  plain  of 
sand,  which  continues  to  Point  Chegoimegon,  say  eighteen  miles. 
About  two-thirds  of  this  distance,  the  Muskeegof  Kiver  enters 
through  the  sandy  plain  from  the  west.  This  is  a  large  stream, 
consisting  of  two  primary  forks,  one  of  which  connects  it  with 
Chippewa  Eiver,  and  the  other  with  the  Eiver  St.  Croix  of  the 
Mississippi.  The  difiiculties  attending  its  ascent,  from  rapids  and 
portages,  have  led  the  French  to  call  it  Mauvaise,  or  Bad  Eiver.:}: 

*  Birds  of  Lake  Supekior. — Of  the  species  that  frequent  the  vicinity  of  this 
lake,  the  magpie  is  found  to  approach  as  far  north  as  Lac  du  Flambeau,  on  the  head 
of  the  Montreal  and  Chippewa  Rivers.  This  bird  is  called  by  the  Chippewas  Wa- 
bish  Kagagee,  a  name  derived  from  Walishkau,  white  animate,  and  Kaw-gaiv-gce,  a 
crow.  The  three-toed  woodpecker  visits  its  forests.  The  T.  polyglottis  has  been 
seen  as  far  north  as  the  Island  of  Michilimackinac.  In  the  spring  of  1823,  a  spe- 
cies of  grosbeak  visited  St.  Mary's,  of  which  I  transmitted  a  specimen  to  the  New 
York  Lyceum  of  Natural  History,  where  it  received  the  name  of  Evening  Grosbeak. 

j-  From  Muskeeg,  a  swamp  or  bog,  and  o,  the  sign  of  the  genitive. 

X  MusKEEGO,  or  Mauvais  River. — In  1831,  the  United  States  government  placed 
under  my  charge  an  expedition  into  the  Indian  country  which  ascended  this  river, 
with  a  view  to  penetrate  through  the  intervening  region  to  the  Mississippii^Indian 
canoes  were  employed,  as  being  best  adapted  to  its  rapids  and  portages,  which  were 
managed  by  voyageurs.  A  detachment  of  infantry,  under  Lieut.  R.  Clary,  was  added. 
The  tribes  in  this  secluded  region  were  then  meditating  the  outbreak  which  event- 
uated the  next  year  in  the  Black  Hawk  War.  This  expedition  ascended  the  river 
through  a  most  embarrassing  series  of  rapids  and  rafts,  which  often  choked  up  its 
channel  for  miles,  into  a  long  lake,  on  its  summit,  called  I^^iogumaug.  From 
the  northwest  end  of  this,  it  passed,  from  lake  to  lake,  to  th^Bamakagun  fork  of 
the  River  St.  Croix  of  the  Mississippi,  descended  that  stream  to^^)w  River,  then  re- 
traced the  Namakagun  to  a  portage  to  Ottowa  Lake,  a  source  of  O^pewa  River,  then 
to  a  portage  into  Lac  Chetac,  the  source  of  the  Red  Cedar,  or  Follavoine  River,  and 
pursued  the  latter  to  the  main  channel  of  the  Chippewa,  and  by  the  latter  into  the 
Mississippi,  which  it  enters  at  the  foot  of  Lake  Pepin ;  thence  down  the  Missis- 
sippi to  Prairie  du  Chien,  and  through  the  present  area  of  the  State  of  Wisconsin, 
by  the  Wisconsin  and  Fox  Rivers,  to  Greea  Bay ;  thence  through  Lakes  Michigan 
aud  Huron  to  Sault  de  Ste  Marie. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  105 

Passing  this  river,  we  continued  along  the  sandy  formation  to  its 
extreme  termination,  wliicli  separates  the  Bay  of  St.  Charles  by 
a  strait  from  that  remarkable  group  of  islands,  called  the  Twelve 
Apostles  by  Carwer.  It  is  this  sandy  point,  which  is  called  La 
Pointe  Chagoimegon*  by  the  old  French  authors,  a  term  now 
shortened  to  La  Pointe.  Instead  of  "  twelve,"  there  are,  how- 
ever, nearer  thirty  islands,  agreeably  to  the  subjoined  sketch,  by 
which  it  is  seen  that  each  State  in  the  Union  may  stand  sponsor 
for  one  of  them,  and  they  might  be  more  appropriately  called 
the  Federation  Group.  Tonching  at  the  inner  or  largest  of  the 
group,  we  found  it  occupied  by  a  Chippewa  village,  under  a  chief 
called  Bezhike.  There  was  a  tenement  occupied  by  a  Mr.  M. 
Cadotte,  who  has  allied  himself  to  the  Chippewas.  Hence  we 
proceeded  about  eleven  miles  to  the  main  shore,  where  we 
encamped  at  a  rather  late  hour.  I  here  found  a  recurrence  of  the 
granitic,  sienitic,  and  hornblende  rocks,  in  high  orbicular  hills, 
and  improved  the  brief  time  of  daylight  to  explore  the  vicinity. 
The  evening  proved  lowering  and  dark,  and  this  eventuated  in 
rain,  which  continued  all  night,  and  until  six  o'clock  the  next 
morning.  Embarking  at  this  hour,  we  proceeded  northwest 
about  eight  miles,  to  Raspberry  River,  and  southwest  to  Sandy 
River.  Here  we  were  driven  ashore  by  a  threatening  tempest, 
and  before  we  had  unladen  the  canoes,  there  fell  one  of  the 
most  copious  and  heavy  showers  of  rain.  The  water  seemed 
fairly  to  pour  from  the  clouds.  We  had  not  pitched  a  tent,  nor 
could  the  slightest  shelter  be  found.  There  seemed  but  one 
option  at  our  command,  namely,  that  between  sitting  and  stand- 
ing. We  chose  the  latter,  and  looked  at  each  other,  it  may  be, 
foolishly,  while  this  rain  tempest  poured.  When  it  was  over,  we 
were  as  completely  wetted  as  if  it  had  been  our  doom  to  lay  at 
the  bottom  of  the  lake.  When  the  rain  ceased,  the  wind  rose 
directly  ahead,  which  confined  us  to  that  spot  the  rest  of  the  day. 
The  next  day  was  the  Fourth  of  July — a  day  consecrated  in  our 
remembrance,  but  which  we  could  do  no  more  than  remember. 
The  wind  continued  to  blow  adversely  till  about  two  o'clock, 
when  we  embarked,  not  without  feeling  the  lake  still  laboring 
under  the  agitation  into  which  it  had  been  thrown.  On  travelling 
three  miles,  we  turned  the  prominent  point,  called  De  Tour  of 

*  From  Shaugwamegun,  low  lands,  and  ing,  a  place. 


^ 


'ofiiia- 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  105 

Passing  this  river,  we  continued  along  the  sandy  formation  to  its 
extreme  termination,  wliich  separates  the  Bay  of  St.  Charles  by 
a  strait  from  that  remarkable  group  of  islands,  called  the  Twelve 
Apostles  by  Carwer.  It  is  this  sandy  point,  which  is  called  La 
Pointe  Chagoimegon*  by  the  old  French  authors,  a  term  now 
shortened  to  La  Pointe.  Instead  of  "  twelve,"  there  are,  how- 
ever, nearer  thirty  islands,  agreeably  to  the  subjoined  sketch,  by 
which  it  is  seen  that  each  State  in  the  Union  may  stand  sponsor 
for  one  of  them,  and  they  might  be  more  appropriately  called 
the  Federation  Groiq').  Touching  at  the  inner  or  largest  of  the 
group,  we  found  it  occupied  by  a  Chippewa  village,  under  a  chief 
called  Bezhike.  There  was  a  tenement  occupied  by  a  Mr.  M. 
Cadotte,  who  has  allied  himself  to  the  Chippewas.  Hence  we 
proceeded  about  eleven  miles  to  the  main  shore,  where  we 
encamped  at  a  rather  late  hour.  I  here  found  a  recurrence  of  the 
granitic,  sienitic,  and  hornblende  rocks,  in  high  orbicular  hills, 
and  improved  the  brief  time  of  daylight  to  explore  the  vicinity. 
The  evening  proved  lowering  and  dark,  and  this  eventuated  in 
rain,  which  continued  all  night,  and  until  six  o'clock  the  next 
morning.  Embarking  at  this  hour,  we  proceeded  northwest 
about  eight  miles,  to  Raspberry  River,  and  southwest  to  Sandy 
River.  Here  we  were  driven  ashore  by  a  threatening  tempest, 
and  before  we  had  unladen  the  canoes,  there  fell  one  of  the 
most  copious  and  heavy  showers  of  rain.  The  water  seemed 
fairly  to  pour  from  the  clouds.  We  had  not  pitched  a  tent,  nor 
could  the  slightest  shelter  be  found.  There  seemed  but  one 
option  at  our  command,  namely,  that  between  sitting  and  stand- 
ing. We  chose  the  latter,  and  looked  at  each  other,  it  may  be, 
foolishly,  while  this  rain  tempest  poured.  When  it  was  over,  we 
were  as  completely  wetted  as  if  it  had  been  our  doom  to  lay  at 
the  bottom  of  the  lake.  When  the  rain  ceased,  the  wind  rose 
directly  ahead,  which  confined  us  to  that  spot  the  rest  of  the  day. 
The  next  day  was  the  Fourth  of  July — a  day  consecrated  in  our 
remembrance,  but  which  we  could  do  no  more  than  remember. 
The  wind  continued  to  blow  adversely  till  about  two  o'clock, 
when  we  embarked,  not  without  feeling  the  lake  still  laboring 
under  the  agitation  into  which  it  had  been  thrown.  On  travelling 
three  miles,  we  turned  the  prominent  point,  called  De  Tour  of 

*  From  Shaiigwamegun,  low  lands,  and  ing,  a  place. 


106  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

Fond  du  Lac.  At  this  point  our  course  changed  from  northwest 
to  south-southwest. 

The  sandstone  formation  here  showed  itself  for  the  last  time. 
The  shore  soon  assumes  a  diluvial  character,  bordered  with  long 
lines  of  yellow  sand  and  pebbles.  In  some  places,  heavy  beds 
of  pure  iron  sand  were  observed.  The  agitation  which  marked 
the  lake  soon  subsided,  under  the  change  of  wind,  and  our  men 
seemed  determined,  by  the  diligence  with  which  they  worked,  to 
make  amends  for  our  delay  at  Sandy  Eiver. 

At  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  we  came  to  Cranberry  River 
and  encamped,  having,  by  their  estimation,  come  twenty -three 
miles.  The  evening  was  perfectly  clear  and  calm,  with  a  striking 
twilight,  which  was  remarked  all  night.  These  lengthened  twi- 
lights form  a  very  observable  feature  as  we  proceed  north.  Mac- 
kenzie says  that,  in  lat.  67°  47',  on  the  11th  of  July,  1789,  he  saw 
the  sun  above  the  horizon  at  twelve  o'clock  P.  M. 

The  calmness  and  beauty  of  the  night,  and  our  chiefs  anxiety 
to  press  forward,  made  this  a  short  night.  Gen.  Cass  aroused  the 
camp  at  a  very  early  hour,  so  that  at  three  o'clock  we  were  again 
upon  the  lake,  urging  our  way  up  the  Fond  du  Lac  Bay.  The 
sun  rose  above  the  horizon  at  ten  minutes  before  four  o'clock. 
The  morning  w^as  clear  and  brilliant.  Not  a  cloud  obscured  the 
sky,  and  the  waves  of  the  lake  spread  out  with  the  brightness  of 
a  mirror.  At  the  distance  of  five  leagues,  we  passed  the  mouth 
of  the  Wisakoda,  or  Broule  Eiver,*  a  stream  which  forms  the 
connecting  link  with  the  Mississippi  River,  through  the  St.  Croix. 
Three  miles  beyond  this  point  we  landed  a  short  time,  on  the 
shore,  where  we  observed  a  stratum  of  iron  sand,  pure  and  black, 
a  foot  in  thickness. 

*  V/isACODA,  or  Beoi'le  River. — On  returning  down  the  Mississippi  River,  from 
the  exploration  of  its  sources,  in  1832,  I  ascended  the  River  St.  Croix  quite  to  its 
source  in  St.  Croix  Lake.  A  short  portage,  across  a  sandy  summit,  terminated 
at  the  head  springs  of  the  Wisacoda,  which,  from  a  very  narrow  and  tortuous 
channel,  is  soon  increased  in  volume  by  tributaries,  and  becomes  a  copious  stream. 
Thus  swelled  in  volume,  it  is  dashed  down  an  inclined  plane,  for  nearly  seventy 
miles,  over  which  it  roars  and  foams  with  the  impetuosity  of  a  torrent.  It  is  not 
till  within  a  few  miles  of  Lake  Superior  that  it  becomes  still  and  deep.  The  entire 
length  of  the  river  may  be  estimated  at  one  hundred  miles.  It  has  two  hundred 
and  forty  distinct  rapids,  at  some  of  which  the  river  sinks  its  level  from  eight  to 
ten  feet.  It  cannot  fall,  in  this  distance,  less  than  500.  That  it  should  ever  have 
been  used  in  the  fur  trade,  is  to  be  explained  by  the  fact  that  it  has  much  water. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  E5:PEDITI0N.  107 

At  eleven  o'clock,  a  northeast  wind  arose,  wliich  enabled  the 
expedition  to  hoist  sail.  Land  on  the  north  shore  had  for 
some  time  been  in  sight,  across  the  bay,  and  the  line  of  coast 
soon  closed  in  front,  denoting  that  we  had  reached  the  head  of 
the  lake.  At  twelve  o'clock,  we  entered  the  mouth  of  the  Eiver 
St.  Louis,  having  been  eighteen  days  in  passing  this  lake,  includ- 
ing the  trip  to  the  Ontonagon. 

Before  quitting  Lake  Superior,  whose  entire  length  we  have 
now  traversed,  one  or  two  generic  remarks  may  be  made;  and 
the  first  respects  its  aboriginal  name.  The  Algonquins,  who,  in 
the  Chippewa  tribe,  were  found  in  possession  of  it,  on  the  arrival 
of  the  French,  early  in  the  seventeenth  century,  applied  the  same 
radical  word  to  it  which  they  bestow  on  the  sea,  namely,  Gum-ee 
(Collected  w^ater),  or,  as  it  is  sometimes  pronounced,  Gom-ee,  or 
Go-ma;  with  this  difference,  that  the  adjective  big  (gitche)  pre- 
fixed to  this  term  for  Lake  Superior,  is  repeated  when  it  is  applied 
to  the  sea.  The  superlative  is  formed  when  it  is  meant  to  be 
very  emphatic,  in  this  language,  by  the  repetition  of  the  adject- 
ive; a  principle,  indeed,  quite  common  to  the  Lidian  grammars 
generally.  The  word  did  not  commend  itself  to  French  or  En- 
glish ears,  so  much  as  to  lead  to  its  adoption.  By  taking  the 
syllable  Al-from  Algonquin,  as  a  prefix,  instead  of  gitchd,  we 
have  the  more  poetic  combination  of  Algoma. 

Geographers  have  estimated  the  depth  of  this  lake  at  nine  hun- 
dred feet.  By  the  surveys  of  the  engineers  of  the  New  York  and 
Erie  Canal,  the  surface  of  Lake  Erie  is  shown  to  be  five  hundred 
and  sixty  feet  above  tide-water,  which,  agreeably  to  estimates  kept 
on  the  present  journey,  lies  fifty-two  feet  below  the  level  of  Lake 
Superior.  These  data  would  carry  the  bottom  of  the  lake  two  hun- 
dred and  eighty-eight  feet  below  tide  water.  What  is  more  cer- 
tain is  this,  that  it  has  been  the  theatre  of  ancient  volcanic  action, 
which  has  thrown  its  trap-rocks  into  high  precipices  around  its 
northern  shores  and  some  of  its  islands,  and  lifted  up  vast  ranges 
of  sandstone  rocks  into  a  vertical  position,  as  is  seen  at  the  base 
of  the  Porcupine  Mountains.  Its  latest  action  appears  to  have 
been  in  its  western  portion,  as  is  proved  by  the  upheaval  of  the 
horizontal  strata;  and  it  may  be  inferred  that  its  bed  is  very 
rough  and  unequal. 

The  western  termination  of  the  lake,  in  the  great  bay  of  Fond 
da  Lac,  denotes  a  double  or  masked  shore,  which  appears  to  have 


108  NAKRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

been  formed  of  pebbles  and  sands,  driven  up  by  the  tempests,  at 
the  distance  of  a  mile  or  two,  outside  of  the  original  shore.  The 
result  is  shown  by  an  elongated  piece  of  water,  resembling  a  lake, 
which  receives  at  the  north,  the  Eiver  St.  Louis,  and  the  Agoche, 
or  Lefthand  Kiver,  at  its  south  extremity. 

About  three  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  river,  we  landed  at 
a  Chippewa  village.  "While  exchanging  the  usual  salutations 
with  them,  we  noticed  the  children  of  an  African,  who  had  inter- 
married with  this  tribe.  These  children  were  the  third  in  descent 
from  Bongo,  a  freed  man  of  a  former  British  commanding  officer 
at  the  Island  of  Michilimackinac.  They  possessed  as  black  skins 
as  the  father,  a  fact  which  may  be  accounted  for  by  observing, 
what  I  afterwards  learned,  that  the  marriages  were,  in  the  case  of 
the  grandfather  and  father,  with  the  pure  Indian,  and  not  with 
Africano-Algonquin  blood ;  so  that  there  had  been  no  direct  ad- 
vance in  the  genealogical  line. 

The  St,  Louis  Eiver  discharges  a  large  volume  of  water,  and 
is  destined  hereafter  to  be  a  port  of  entry  for  the  lake  shipping, 
but  at  present  it  has  shoals  of  sand  at  its  mouth  which  would 
bar  the  entrance  of  large  vessels.  Proceeding  up  the  river,  we 
found  it  very  serpentine,  and  abounding  in  aquatic  plants,  por- 
tions of  it  yielding  the  wild  rice.  At  the  computed  distance  of 
twenty-four  miles,  we  reached  the  establishment  of  the  American 
Fur  Company.  It  was  seven  o'clock  when  we  came  to  the  place, 
where  we  encamped. 

Lake  Superior  is  called  by  the  Chippewas  a  sea. 

The  superficial  area  of  the  lake  has  been  computed  by  Mr. 
Darby  at  a  little  under  nine  hundred  billions  of  feet,  and  its  depth 
at  nine  hundred  feet.  By  the  latest  surveys  and  estimate,  the 
altitude  of  Lake  Superior  above  tide  water,  is  about  six  hundred 
and  forty  feet.*  Allowing  Mr.  Darby's  computation  to  be  correct, 
this  would  sink  its  bed  far  below  the  surface  of  the  Atlantic. 

This  lake  has  been  the  theatre  of  very  extensive  volcanic 
action.  Vast  dykes  of  trap  traverse  its  northern  shores.  One 
of  the  principal  of  these  has  apparently  extended  across  its  bed, 
from  northeast  to  southwest,  to  the  long  peninsula  of  Keweena, 
producing  at  the  same  time,  the  elevated  range  of  the  Okaug 

0  *    Vide  Appendix. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 


109 


Mountains.  One  of  the  most  remarkable  features  of  these  dykes 
is  the  numerous  and  extensive  veins  of  native  copper  which  cha- 
racterize them.  Subsequent  convulsions,  and  the  demolition  of 
these  ancient  dykes,  by  storms  and  tempests,  have  scattered  along 
its  shores  abundant  evidence  of  the  metal  and  its  ores  and  vein- 
stones, which  have  attracted  notice  from  the  earliest  time.  The 
geology  of  its  southern  coasts  may  be  glanced  at,  and  inferred, 
from  the  subjoined  outlines. 


!2! 


!i 


^^<^^^ 


^ 


Porcupine  Mountain  Range. 


Le  Pointe.  Fond  du  Lac. 


Geological  outline  of  Lake  Superior. 


The  teachings  of  topography,  applied  to  commerce,  are  wonder- 
ful. A  longitudinal  line,  dropped  south,  from  this  point,  would 
cross  the  Mississippi  at  the  foot  of  Lake  Pepin,  and  pass  through 
Jefferson  city  on  the  Missouri.  When,  therefore,  a  ship  canal 
shall  be  made  at  St.  Mary's  Falls,  vessels  of  large  tonnage  may 
sail  from  Oswego  (by  the  Welland  canal)  and  Buffalo,  through  a 
line  of  inter-oceanic  seas,  nearer  to  the  foot  of  the  Rock}^  Mount- 
ains, by  several  hundred  miles,  than  by  any  other  possible  route. 
A  railroad  line  from  Fond  du  Lac  west  to  the  Columbia  valley, 
would  also  form  the  shortest  and  most  direct  transit  route  from 
the  Pacific  to  New  York.  Such  a  road  would  have  the  advantage 
of  passing  through  a  region  favorable  to  agriculture,  which  cannot 
but  develop  abundant  resources. 


110  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 


CHAPTEE   VIII. 

Proceed  up  the  St.  Louis  River,  and  around  its  falls  and  rapids  to  Sandy  Lake  in 
the  valley  of  the  Upper  Mississippi — Grand  Portage — Portage  aux  Coteaux — A 
sub-exploring  party — Cross  the  great  morass  of  Akeek  Scepi  to  Sandy  Lake — 
Indian  mode  of  pictographic  writing — Site  of  an  Indian  jonglery — Post  of  Sandy 
Lake. 

We  had  now  reached  above  nine  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from 
our  starting-point  at  Detroit,  and  had  been  more  than  forty  days 
in  traversing  the  shores  of  Lakes  Huron  and  Superior.  July  had 
already  commenced,  and  no  time  was  to  be  lost  in  reaching  our 
extreme  point  of  destination.  Every  exertion  was  therefore  made 
to  push  ahead.  By  ten  o'clock  of  the  morning  after  our  arrival 
at  the  Fond  du  Lac  post,  we  embarked,  and  after  going  two  miles 
reached  the  foot  of  the  first  rapids  of  the  St.  Louis.  This  spot  is 
called  the  commencement  of  the  Grand  Portage — over  this  path 
all  the  goods,  provisions,  and  canoes  are  to  be  carried  by  hand 
nine  miles.  During  this  distance,  the  St,  Louis  Eiver,  a  stream 
of  prime  magnitude,  bursts  through  the  high  trap  range  of  Avhat 
Bouchette  calls  the  Cabotian  Mountains,  being  a  continuation  of 
the  upheavals  of  the  north  shore  of  Lake  Superior,  the  river 
leaping  and  foaming,  from  crag  to  crag,  in  a  manner  which  creates 
some  of  the  most  grand  and  picturesque  views.  We  sometimes 
stood  gazing  at  their  precipices  and  falls,  with  admiration,  and 
often  heard  their  roar  on  our  path,  when  we  were  miles  away 
from  them.  Capt.  Douglass  estimated  the  river  to  fall  one  hun- 
dred and  eight  feet  during  the  first  nine  miles ;  and  from  esti- 
mates furnished  me  by  Dr.  Wolcott,  the  aggregate  fall  from 
the  mouth  of  the  Savanne,  to  that  point,  is  two  hundred  and 
twelve  feet.  We  found  the  first  part  of  the  ascent  of  its  banks 
very  precipitous  and  difficult,  particularly  for  the  men  who  bore 
burdens,  and  what  rendered  the  labor  almost  insupportable  was 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  Ill 

the  heat,  which  stood  at  82°,  in  the  shade,  at  noon.  We  made 
but  ^ye  pauses  the  first  da}^ ;  aud  were  three  days  on  the  portage. 
It  rained  the  second  day,  which  added  much  to  the  difficulty  of 
our  progress.  "We  now  found  ourselves,  at  every  step,  advancing 
into  a  wild  and  rugged  region.  Everything  around  us  wore  the 
aspect  of  remoteness.  Dark  forests,  swampy  grounds,  rocky  pre- 
cipices, and  the  distant  roaring  of  the  river,  as  it  leapt  from  rock 
to  rock,  would  have  sufficiently  impressed  the  mind  with  the 
presence  of  the  wilderness,  without  heavy  rains,  miry  paths,  and 
the  train  of  wild  and  picturesque  Indians,  who  constituted  a  part 
of  our  carriers. 

The  rocks,  at  the  foot  of  the  portage,  consisted  of  horizontal 
red  sandstone.  On  reaching  the  head  of  it,  we  found  argillite  in 
a  vertical  position,  I  found  the  latter,  in  some  places,  pervaded 
by  thin  veins  of  quartz,  and  in  one  instance  by  grauwackke.  At 
one  spot  there  was  a  small  vein  of  coarse  graphite  in  the  argillite. 
Large  blocks  of  black  crystallized  hornblende  rock  lie  along  the 
shores,  where  we  again  reached  the  river,  and  are  often  seen  on 
its  bed,  amid  the  swift-running  water,  but  I  did  not  observe  this 
rock  in  place.  Among  the  loose  stones  at  the  foot  of  the  portage, 
I  picked  up  a  specimen  of  micaceous  oxide  of  iron.  Such  are 
the  gleams  of  its  geology  and  mineralogy.  The  growth  of  the 
forest  is  pines,  hemlock,  spruce,  birch,  oak,  and  maple.  In  favor- 
able situations,  I  observed  the  common  red  raspberry,  ripe. 

On  embarking  above  the  portage,  the  expedition  occupied  seven 
canoes,  of  a  size  most  suitable  for  this  species  of  navigation.  Our 
Indian  auxiliaries  from  Fond  du  Lac  were  here  rewarded,  and 
dismissed.  On  ascending  six  miles,  we  reached  the  Portage  aux 
Coteaux,  so  called  from  the  carrying  path  lying  over  a  surface 
of  vertical  argillite.  This  rock,  standing  up  in  the  bed,  or  on 
the  banks  of  the  stream,  with  a  scanty  overhanging  foliage  of 
cedar,  gives  a  peculiarly  wild  and  abrupt  aspect  to  the  scene ; 
which  is  by  no  means  lessened  by  the  loud  roaring  of  the  waters. 
There  is  a  fall  and  rapid  at  this  portage,  where  the  river,  it  may 
be  estimated,  sinks  its  level  about  fourteen  feet. 

We  encamped  at  the  head  of  this  portage,  where  the  water 
again  permits  the  canoes  to  be  put  Ln.  Thus  far,  we  had  found 
this  stream  a  broad,  flowing  torrent,  but  owing  to  its  rapids  and 
rocks,  anything  but  favorable  to  its  navigation  b}^  boats,  or  canoes 


112  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

of  heavy  burden.  His  excellency  Gov.  Cass,  therefore,  determined 
to  relieve  the  river  party,  by  detaching  a  sub-expedition  across 
the  country  to  Sandy  Lake.  It  was  thought  proper  that  I  should 
accompany  this  party.  It  consisted,  besides,  of  Lieut.  Mackay, 
with  eight  soldiers,  and  of  Mr.  Doty,  Mr.  Trowbridge,  and  Mr. 
Chase.  We  were  provided  with  an  interpreter  and  two  Chip- 
pewa guides,  being  sixteen  persons  in  all. 

Thus  organized,  we  left  the  camp  at  the  head  of  the  portage, 
the  following  morning,  at  six  o'clock.  Each  one  carried  pro- 
visions for  five  days,  a  knife,  a  musquito  bar,  and  a  blanket  or 
cloak.  There  were  a  few  guns  taken,  but  generally  this  was 
thought  to  be  an  incumbrance,  as  we  expected  to  see  little  game 
and  to  encounter  a  toilsome  tramp.  The  guides,  taking  their 
course  by  the  sun,  struck  w^est  into  a  close  forest  of  pine,  hem- 
lock, and  underbrush,  which  required  energy  to  push  through. 
On  travelling  a  couple  of  miles,  we  fell  into  an  Indian  path  lea-d- 
ing in  the  required  direction ;  but  this  path,  after  passing  through 
two  ponds,  and  some  marshes,  eventually  lost  itself  in  swamps. 
These  marshes,  after  following  through  them,  about  four  miles, 
were  succeeded  by  an  elevated  dry  sandy  barren,  with  occasional 
clumps  of  pitch  pine,  and  with  a  surface  of  shrubbery.  Walking 
over  this  dry  tract  was  quite  a  relief.  We  then  entered  a  thick 
forest  of  young  spruce  and  hemlock.  Two  miles  of  this  brought 
us  to  the  banks  of  a  small  lake,  with  clear  water,  and  a  pebbly 
shore.  Having  no  canoe  to  cross  it,  our  guides  led  us  around  its 
southern  shores.  The  fallen  timber  and  brush  rendered  this  a 
very  difficult  march.  To  avoid  these  obstructions,  as  they  ap- 
proached the  head  of  the  lake,  we  eventually  took  its  margin, 
occasionally  leading  into  the  water.  While  passing  these  shores, 
I  picked  up  some  specimens  of  the  water- worn  agates,  for  which 
the  diluvians  in  this  quarter  are  remarkable.  We  now  fell  into 
an  old  Indian  path,  which  led  to  two  small  lakes,  similar  in  size, 
to  the  former  one,  but  with  marshy  borders,  and  reddish  water. 
These  small  lakes  were  filled  with  pond  lilies,  rushes,  and  wild 
rice.  At  the  margin  of  the  second  lake,  the  path  ceased,  and  the 
guides  could  not  afterwards  find  it.  The  path  terminated  ab- 
ruptly at  the  second  lake.    While  searching  about  this,  Chamees,* 

*  The  pouncing  hawk. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  113 

one  of  the  Indian  guides,  found  a  large  green  tortoise,  wliicli  he 
and  his  companion  killed  in  a  very  ingenious  and  efl'ectual  way, 
by  a  blow  from  a  hatchet  on  the  neck,  at  the  point  where  the 
shell  or  buckler  terminates.  After  leaving  this  water,  they  ap- 
peared to  be  in  doubt  about  the  way ;  almost  imperceptibly,  we 
found  ourselves  in  a  great  tamarak  swamp.  The  bogs  and 
moss  served  to  cover  up,  almost  completely,  the  fallen  trees, 
and  formed  so  elastic  a  carpet  as  to  sink  deep  at  every  tread. 
Occasionally  they  broke  through,  letting  the  foot  into  the  mire. 
This  proved  a  very  fatiguing  tramp.  To  add  to  its  toils,  it 
rained  at  intervals  all  day.  We  were  eleven  hours  in  passing 
this  swamp,  and  estimated,  and  probably  over-estimated  ourselves 
to  have  past  twenty  miles.  We  encamped  at  five  o'clock  near 
the  shores  of  a  third  small  lake,  each  one  picking  out  for  himself 
the  most  elevated  spot  possible,  and  the  person  who  got  a  position 
most  completely  out  of  the  water  was  the  best  man.  It  is  fatigue, 
however,  that  makes  sleep  a  welcome  guest,  and  we  awoke  with- 
out any  cause  of  complaint  on  that  score. 

The  next  morning,  as  we  were  about  to  depart,  we  observed 
near  the  camp-fire  of  our  guides  a  pole  leaning  in  the  direction 
we  were  to  go,  with  a  birch-bark  inscription  inserted  in  a  slit  in 
the  top  of  the  pole.  This  was  too  curious  an  object  not  to  excite 
marked  attention,  and  we  took  it  down  to  examine  the  hiero- 
glyphics, or  symbols,  which  had  been  inscribed  with  charcoal 
on  the  birch  scroll.  We  found  the  party  minutely  depicted  by 
symbols.  *  The  figures  of  eight  muskets  denoted  that  there  were 
eight  soldiers  in  the  party.  The  usual  figure  for  a  man,  namely, 
a  closed  cross  with  a  head,  thus : — 


and  one  hand  holding  a  sword,  told  the  tale  that  they  were  com- 
manded by  an  officer.  Mr.  Doty  was  drawn  with  a  book,  they 
having  understood  that  he  was  a  lawyer.  I  was  depicted  with  a 
hammer,  to  denote  a  mineralogist.  Mr.  Trowbridge  and  Mr. 
Chase,  and  the  interpreter,  were  also  depicted.  Chamees  and  his 
companion  were  drawn  by  a  camp-fire  apart,  and  the  figure  of 
8 


114  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

the  tortoise  and  a  prairie-hen  denoted  the  day's  hunt.  There 
were  three  hacks  on  the  pole,  which  leaned  to  the  N.  W.,  denoting 
our  course  of  travel.  Having  examined  this  unique  memorial,  it 
was  carefully  replaced  in  its  former  position,  when  we  again  set 
forward.  It  appeared  we  had  rested  in  a  sort  of  oasis  in  the 
swamp,  for  we  soon  entered  into  a  section  of  a  decidedly  worse 
character  than  that  we  had  passed  the  day  before.  The  windfalls 
and  decaying  timber  were  more  frequent — the  bogs,  if  possible, 
more  elastic — the  spots  dry  enough  to  halt  on,  more  infrequent, 
and  the  water  more  highly  colored  with  infuvsions  of  decaying 
vegetable  matter.  We  urged  our  way  across  this  tract  of  morass 
for  nine  hours,  during  which  we  estimated  our  progress  at  four- 
teen miles,  and  encamped  about  four  o'clock  P.  M.,  in  a  complete 
state  of  exhaustion.  Even  our  Indian  guides  demanded  a  halt ; 
and  what  had,  indeed,  added  to  our  discouragements,  was  the  un- 
certainty of  their  way,  which  they  had  manifested. 

Our  second  night's  repose  in  this  swampy  tract,  was  on  ground 
just  elevated  above  the  water ;  the  mosquitos  were  so  pertina- 
cious at  this  spot  as  to  leave  us  but  little  rest.  From  information 
given  by  our  guides,  this  wide  tract  of  morass  constitutes  the 
sources  of  the  Akeek  Seebi,  or  Kettle  Eiver,  which  is  one  of  the 
remotest  sources  of  the  Mille  Lac,  and,  through  that  body  of  water, 
of  Rum  River.  It  is  visited  only  by  the  Indians,  at  the  proper 
season  for  trapping  the  beaver,  marten,  and  muskrat.  During 
our  transit  through  it,  we  came  to  open  spaces  where  the  cran- 
berry was  abundant.  In  the  same  locality,  we  found  the  ripe 
fruit,  green  berries,  and  blossoms  of  this  fruit. 

It  was  five  o'clock  A.  M.  when  we  resumed  our  march  through 
this  toilsome  tract,  and  we  passed  out  of  it,  after  pressing  forward 
with  our  best  might,  during  twelve  hours.  We  had  been  ob- 
servant of  the  perplexity  of  our  guides,  who  had  unwittingly,  we 
thought,  plunged  us  into  this  dreary  and  seemingly  endless  mo- 
rass, and  were  rejoiced,  on  a  sudden,  to  hear  them  raise  loud 
shouts.  They  had  reached  a  part  of  the  country  known  to  them, 
and  took  this  mode  to  express  their  joy,  and  we  soon  found  our- 
selves on  the  banks  of-  a  small  clear  stream,  called  by  them 
Bezhiki  Seebi,  or  Buffalo  Creek,  a  tributary  to  Sandy  Lake. 
We  had,  at  length,  reached  waters  flowing  into  the  Mississippi. 
On  this  stream  we  prepared  to  encamp,  in  high  spirits,  feeling,  as 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION".  115 

tliose  are  apt  to  who  have  long  labored  at  an  object,  a  pleasure 
in  some  measure  proportioned  to  the  exertions  made. 

Any  other  people  but  the  Indians  would  feel  ill  at  ease  in 
dreary  regions  like  these.  But  these  sons  of  the  forest  appear  to 
carry  all  their  socialities  with  them,  even  in  the  most  forbidding 
solitudes.  They  are  so  familiarized  with  the  notions  of  demons 
and  spirits,  that  the  wildest  solitude  is  replete  with  objects  of 
hope  and  fear.  We  had  evidence  of  this,  just  before  we  en- 
camped on  the  banks  of  the  Bezhiki,  when  we  came  to  a  cleared 
spot,  which  had  been  occupied  by  what  the  Canadians,  with  much 
force,  call  a  jonglery,  or  place  of  necromantic  ceremonies  of  their 
priests  or  jossakeeds.  There  were  left  standing  of  this  structure 
six  or  eight  smooth  posts  of  equal  length,  standing  perpendicu- 
larly. These  had  been  carefully  peeled,  and  painted  with  a  spe- 
cies of  ochrey  clay.  The  curtains  of  bark,  extending  between 
ihem,  and  isolating  the  powow,  or  operator,  had  been  removed ; 
but  the  precincts  had  the  appearance  of  having  been  carefully 
cleared  of  brush,  and  the  ground  levelled,  for  the  purposes  of 
these  sacred  orgies,  which  exercise  so  much  influence  on  Indian 
society. 

"We  were  awaked  in  our  encampment,  between  four  and  five 
o'clock,  the  next  morning,  by  a  shower  of  rain.  Jumping  up, 
and  taking  our  customary  meal  of  jerked  beef  and  biscuit,  we 
now  followed  our  guides,  with  alacrity,  over  a  dry  and  uneven 
surface,  towards  Sandy  Lake.  We  had  now  been  three  daj^s  in 
accomplishing  the  traverse  over  this  broad  and  elevated,  yet 
sphagnous  summit,  separating  the  valley  of  the  St.  Louis  of  Lake 
Superior  from  that  of  the  Upper  Mississippi.  As  we  approached 
the  basin  of  Sandy  Lake,  we  passed  over  several  sandy  ridges, 
bearing  the  white  and  yellow  pine ;  the  surface  and  its  depres- 
sions bearing  the  wild  cherry,  poplar,  hazel,  ledum  latifolia,  and 
other  usual  growth  and  shrubs  of  the  latitude.  On  the  dry  sandy 
tracts  the  uva  ursi,  or  kinnikinnik  of  the  Indians,  was  noticed. 
In  the  mineral  constitution  of  the  ridges  themselves,  the  geologist 
recognizes  that  wide-spreading  drift-stratum,  with  boulders  and 
pebbles  of  sienitic  and  hornblende,  quartz,  and  sandstone  rock, 
which  is  so  prevalent  in  the  region.  As  we  approached  the  lake 
we  ascended  one  of  those  sandy  ridges  which  surround  it,  and 
dashing  our  way  through  the  dense  underbrush,  were  gratified 


116 


NAERATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION". 


on  gaining  its  apex  to  behold  the  sylvan  shores  and  islands  of 
the  lake,  with  the  trading-post  and  flag,  seen  dimly  in  the  distance. 
The  view  is  preserved  in  the  following  outlines,  taken  on  the  spot. 


Sandy  Lake,  from  an  eminence  north  of  the  mouth  of  the  West  Creek  of  the 
Portage  of  Savannah.     15th  July,  1820. 

I  asked  Chamees  the  Indian  name  of  this  lake.  He  replied, 
Ka-metong-aug-e-maug.  This  is  one  of  those  compound  terms, 
in  their  languages,  of  which  the  particle  ka  is  affirmative.  Me- 
tongaug,  is  the  plural  form  of  sandy  lake.  Maug  is  the  plural 
form  of  water,  corresponding,  by  the  usual  grammatical  duality 
of  meaning,  to  the  plural  form  of  the  noun.  The  word  might, 
perhaps,  be  adopted  in  the  form  of  Kametonga. 

Having  heard,  on  our  passage  through  Lake  Superior,  that  a 
gun  fired  in  the  basin  of  Sandy  Lake,  could  be  heard  at  the  fort, 
that  experiment  was  tried,  while  we  sat  down  or  sauntered  about 
to  await  the  result.  Having  waited  in  vain,  the  shots  were  re- 
peated. After  the  lapse  of  a  long  time,  a  boat,  with  two  men, 
was  descried  in  the  distance  approaching.  It  proved  to  be  occu- 
pied by  two  young  clerks  of  the  trading  establishment,  named 
Ashmun  and  Fairbanks.  They  managed  to  embark  the  elite  of 
our  party,  in  their  small  vessel,  and,  as  we  crossed  the  lake, 
amused  us  with  an  account  of  the  excitement  our  shots  had 
caused.  Some  Indian  women  affirmed  to  them  that  they  had 
heard  warwhoops,  and  to  make  sure  that  a  Sioux  war  party 
were  not  upon  them,  they  drove  off  their  cattle  to  a  place  of 
safety.     In  the  actual  position  of  affairs,  the  hunt  being  over  for 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  117 

the  year,  and  the  avails  being  sent  to  Michilimackinac  (for  this 
was  the  head-quarters  of  the  factor  whom  we  had  met  at  Shell- 
drake  River),  the  probabilities  of  its  being  a  hunting  party  were 
less.  We  informed  them  that  we  were  an  advance  party  of  an 
expedition  sent  out  to  explore  the  sources  of  the  Mississippi 
River,  under  the  personal  order  of  his  Excellency  Governor  Cass, 
who  was  urging  his  way  up  the  St.  Louis  to  the  Savanna  Portage, 
through  which  he  intended  to  descend  into  Sandy  Lake. " 

It  was  near  sunset  before  we  landed  at  the  establishment.  We 
found  the  trading  fort  a  stockade  of  squared  pine  timber,  thirteen 
feet  high,  and  facing  an  area  a  hundred  feet  square,  with  bastions 
pierced  for  musketry  at  the  southeast  and  northwest  angles. 
There  were  three  or  four  acres  outside  of  one  of  the  angles,  pick- 
eted in,  and  devoted  to  the  culture  of  potatoes.  The  stockade 
inclosed  two  ranges  of  buildings.  This  is  the  post  visited  by 
Lieut.  Z.  Pike,  U.  S.  A.,  on  snow-shoes,  and  with  dog-trains,  in 
the  winter  of  1806,  when  it  was  occapied  by  the  British  north- 
west trading  company.  As  a  deep  mantle  of  snow  covered  the 
country,  it  did  not  permit  minute  observations  on  the  topography 
or  natural  history ;  and  there  have  been  no  explorations  since. 
Pike's  chief  error  was  in  placing  the  source  of  the  Mississippi  in 
Turtle  Lake — a  mistake  which  is  due  entirely,  it  is  believed,  to 
the  imperfect  or  false  maps  furnished  him  by  the  chief  traders 
of  the  time. 

We  were  received  with  all  the  hospitality  possible,  in  the  actual 
state  of  things,  and  with  every  kindness ;  and  for  the  first  time, 
since  leaving  Detroit,  we  slept  in  a  house.  We  were  informed 
that  we  were  now  within  two  miles  of  the  Mississippi  River,  into 
which  the  outlet  of  Sandy  Lake  emptied  itself,  and  that  we  were 
five  hundred  miles  above  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony.  We  had 
accomplished  the  transference  of  position  from  the  head  of  the 
basin  of  Lake  Superior,  that  is,  from  the  foot  of  the  falls  of  the 
St.  Louis  River,  in  seven  days,  by  a  route,  too,  certainly  one  of 
the  worst  imaginable,  and  there  can  be  no  temerity  in  supposing 
that  it  might  be  efiected  in  light  canoes  in  half  that  time. 


118  NAREATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

Keunion  of  the  expedition  on  the  Savanna  Portage  —  Elevation  of  this  summit — 
Descent  to  Sandy  Lake — Council  with  the  Chippewa  tribe  —  Who  are  they? — 
Traits  of  their  history,  language,  and  customs  —  Enter  the  Mississippi,  with  a 
sub-exploring  party,  and  proceed  in  search  of  its  source — Physical  characteristics 
of  the  stream  at  this  place — Character  of  the  Canadian  voyageur ! 

On  rising  on  the  next  morning  (14tli  July),  our  minds  were 
firmly  set,  at  the  earliest  moment,  to  rejoin  the  main  expedition, 
which  had  been  toiling  its  way  up  the  St.  Louis  River  to  the 
Savanna  Portage.  And  as  soon  as  we  had  dispatched  our  break- 
fast at  the  Post,  we  set  out,  accompanied  by  one  of  the  trading 
clerks,  for  that  noted  carrying  place  between  the  waters  of  the 
St.  Louis  and  Sandy  Lake.  We  reached  its  northwestern  termi- 
nus at  about  twelve  o'clock,  and  were  surprised  to  find  Gov.  Cass, 
with  some  of  his  party,  and  a  part  of  the  baggage,  already  there ; 
and  by  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  last  of  the  latter,  together 
with  the  canoes,  arrived.  And  it  was  then,  in  the  exhausted  state 
of  the  men,  and  at  so  late  an  hour,  concluded  to  encamp,  and 
await  the  morning  to  commence  the  descent  of  the  west  Savanne 
to  the  lake. 

The  expedition  had,  after  we  left  them  at  the  Portage  aux 
Coteaux  on  the  10th,  and  being  thus  relieved  of  our  weight, 
urged  its  way  up  the  river,  with  labor,  about  fifty -six  miles,  to 
the  inlet  of  the  east  Savann^,  having  surmounted,  in  this  distance, 
rapids  of  the  aggregate  estimated  height  of  two  hundred  and 
twelve  feet,  which  occupied  two  days.  They  then  ascended  the 
Savann^  twenty-four  miles,  rising  eighteen  feet.  The  portage> 
from  water  to  water,  is  six  miles.  It  commences  in  a  tamarak 
swamp,  from  which  the  bog,  in  a  dry  season,  has  been  burnt  off, 
leaving  the  path  a  miass  of  mire.  Trees  and  sticks  have,  from 
time  to  time,  been  laid  in  this  to  walk  on,  which  it  requires  the 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  119 

skill  of  a  balancing  master  to  keep.  For  the  distance  of  three 
•pozes  [pauses]  this  is  the  condition  of  the  path ;  afterwards,  the 
footing  becomes  dry,  and  there  are  ascending  sand  ridges,  which 
are  easily  crossed. 

Dr.  Wolcott,  to  whom  I  had  handed  my  geological  note-book, 
made  the  following  observations.  "  We  left  the  vertical  strata 
of  slate,  about  two  miles  above  the  Portage  aux  Coteaux.  They 
were  succeeded  by  rocks  of  hornblende,  which  continued  the 
whole  distance  to  the  head  of  the  Grand  Kapid.  These  rocks 
were  only  to  be  observed  in  the  bed  of  the  river,  and  appeared 
to  be  much  water-worn,  and  manifestly  out  of  place.  Soon  after 
we  left  the  Portage  aux  Coteaux,  the  hills  receded  from  the  river, 
and  its  banks  for  the  rest  of  the  way  were  generally  low,  often 
alluvial,  and  always  covered  vnih.  a  thick  growth  of  birch,  elm, 
sugar-tree  (acer  saccharinum),  and  the  whole  tribe  of  pines,  with 
an  almost  impenetrable  thicket  of  underbrush. 

"The  appearances  of  this  day  (11th)  have  been  similar  to  those 
of  yesterday,  except  that  the  country  bordering  the  river  became 
entirely  alluvial,  and  the  poplar  became  the  predominating  growth, 
while  the  evergreen  almost  entirely  disappeared.  The  rocks  were 
seldom  visible,  except  upon  the  rapids,  and  then  only  in  the  bed 
of  the  river,  and  were  entirely  composed  of  hornblende,  all  out 
of  place,  and  exhibiting  no  signs  of  stratification,  but  evidently 
thrown  confusedly  together  by  the  force  of  the  current. 

"The  Savanne  Eiver  is  about  twenty  yards  broad  at  its  junction 
with  the  St.  Louis,  but  soon  narrows  to  about  half  the  breadth, 
which  it  retains  until  it  forks  at  the  distance  of  about  twelve 
miles  from  its  mouth.  Its  whole  course  runs  through  a  low 
marshy  meadow,  the  timbered  land  occasionally  reaching  to  the 
banks  of  the  river,  but  generally  keeping  a  distance  of  about 
twenty  rods  on  either  side.  The  meadow  is,  for  the  most  part, 
covered  with  tufts  of  willow  and  other  shrubs,  common  to  marshes. 
The  woods,  which  skirt  it,  are  of  the  same  kinds  observed  on  the 
preceding  days,  except  that  a  species  of  small  oak  frequently 
appears  among  it.  The  river  becomes  so  narrow  towards  its 
head,  that  it  is  with  great  difficulty  canoes  can  make  their  way 
through  its- windings;  and  the  portage  commences  a  mile  or  two 
from  its  source,  which  is  in  a  tamarak  swamp." 

The  height  of  laud  between  the  east  and  west  Savanne,  Dr. 


120  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

Wolcott  estimates  at  about  thirty  feet.  Adding  to  this  elevation 
the  estimates  of  Capt.  Douglass,  before  mentioned,  the  entire  ele- 
vation between  the  foot  of  the  falls  of  the  St.  Louis  and  the  apex 
of  this  summit  is  three  hundred  and  sixty-eight  feet.* 

Having  exchanged  congratulations,  and  recited  to  each  other 
the  little  personal  incidents  which  had  marked  our  respective 
tracks  of  entry  into  the  country,  we  passed  the  night  on  the 
sources  of  this  little  stream ;  and  the  next  morning,  at  five  o'clock, 
began  its  descent.  It  is  a  mere  brook,  only  deep  enough,  at  this 
spot,  to  embark  the  canoes,  and  two  men  to  manage  them.  At 
the  distances  of  four,  and  of  twelve  miles,  there  are  rapids,  where 
half  the  loads  are  carried  over  portages.  At  the  foot  of  the  latter 
rapid,  there  is  a  tributary  called  Ox  Creek,  and  from  this  point  to 
the  lake,  a  distance  of  six  miles,  the  navigation  is  practicable  with 
full  loads.  We  entered  the  lake  with  pleasurable  feelings,  at  the 
accomplishment  of  our  transit  over  this  summit,  and  after  a 
passage  of  ihree  miles  over  the  calm  and  sylvan  surface  of  the 
lake,  the  expedition  reached  and  landed  at  the  company's  fort. 
It  was  now  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  a  most  serene  day, 
and  the  Indians,  who  were  gathered  on  the  shores,  received  us 
with  a  salute  a  la  mode  de  savage^  that  is,  with  balls  fired  over  our 
heads.  Quarters  were  provided  in  the  fort  for  such  as  did  not 
prefer  to  lodge  in  tents.  Understanding  that  there  was  to  be  a 
day's  rest  at  this  post,  to  reorganize  the  party,  and  hold  inter- 
course with  the  Indians,  each  one  prepared  to  make  such  use  of 
his  time  as  best  subserved  his  purposes.  Finding  my  baggage 
had  been  wetted  and  damaged  on  the  portages  in  the  ascent  of 
the  St.  Louis,  I  separated  the  moulded  and  ruined  from  things 
still  worth  saving,  and  drying  the  latter  in  the  sun,  prepared  them 
for  further  use. 

On  the  day  after  our  arrival  (16th)  a  council  of  the  Indians — the 
Chippewas — was  convened.  The  principal  chiefs  were  Kadewa- 
bedas,t  or  Broken  Teeth,  and  Babisekundeba,:}:  or  the  Curly  Head, 
This  tribe,  it  appears,  are  conquerors  in  the  country,  having  at 

*  For  heights  and  distances,  vide  Appendix. 

f  From  ka,  an  affirmative  particle ;  webeed,  teeth  ;  and  eda,  a ,  transitive  ob- 
jective intiection. 

X  Ba,  a  repeating  particle ;  besaw,  fine,  curly ;  and  kundib,  the  human  head. 


NAREATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  121 

an  early,  or  ante-historical  age,  advanced  from  Lake  Superior, 
driving  back  the  Sioux.  The  war  between  these  two  tribes  is 
known  to  have  existed  since  the  first  entry  of  the  French  into 
the  country — then  a  part  of  New  France — early  in  the  seventeenth 
century.  Gov.  Cass  proposed  to  them  to  enter  into  a  firm  peace 
with  the  Sioux,  and  to  send  a  delegation  with  him  to  St.  Peter's, 
on  his  return  from  the  sources  of  the  Mississippi.  To  this  they 
assented.  Speeches  were  made  by  the  Indians,  which  it  is  not 
my  purpose  to  record,  as  they  embraced  nothing  beyond  the  ordi- 
nary, every-day  style  of  the  native  speakers. 

It  was  determined  to  encamp  the  heavy  part  of  the  expedition 
at  this  place,  and  to  organize  a  sub-expedition  of  two  light  canoes, 
well  manned,  to  explore  the  sources  of  the  Mississippi  River. 
While  these  arrangements  are  in  progress,  it  may  be  proper  to 
state  something  more  respecting  the  condition  and  history  of  the 
Chippewa  nation.  And  first,  they  are  Algonqnins,  having  mi- 
grated, at  ante-Cartierian*  periods,  from  the  vicinity  of  Lake 
Nippesing,  on  the  Outawis  summit.  Anterior  to  this,  their  own 
traditions  place  them  further  eastward,  and  their  language  bears 
evidence  that  the  stock  from  which  they  are  sprung,  occupied  the 
Atlantic  from  the  Chesapeake,  extending  through  New  England. 
The  name  Chippewa  is  derived  from  the  term  Ojibwa.  The  latter 
has  been  variously,  but  not  satisfactorily  derived.  The  particle 
hwa^  in  the  language,  signifies  voice.  They  are  a  well-formed, 
active  race  of  men,  and  have  the  reputation  of  being  good  hunters 
and  warriors.  They  possess  the  ordinary  black  shining  eyes, 
black  straight  hair,  and  general  physiological  traits  of  the  Indian 
race  ;  and  do  not  differ,  essentially,  from  the  northern  tribes  in 
their  manners  and  customs.  Pike,  who  was  the  first  American 
officer  to  visit  them,  in  this  region,  estimates  the  whole  number 
seated  on  the  Upper  Mississippi,  and  northwest  of  Lake  Superior, 
in  the  year  1806,  at  eleven  thousand  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
seven.  This  estimate  includes  the  entire  population,  extending 
south  to  the  St.  Croix  and  Chippewa  valleys,  below  St.  Anthony's 
Falls.  It  is  believed  to  be  much  too  high,  for  which  it  can  be 
plead  in  extenuation,  that  it  was  the  rough  estimate  of  foreign 
traders,  who  were  interested  in  exalting  their  importance  to  the 

*  Cartier  discovered  the  St.  Lawrence  in  1534. 


122  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

United  States.  Certain  it  is,  there  are  not  more  than  half  the 
numbers,  in  this  region,  at  present.  The  number  which  he 
assigns  to  the  Sandy  Lake  band  is  three  hundred  and  forty -five. 

The  Chippewas  of  the  Upper  Mississippi  are,  in  fact,  the  ad- 
vanced band  of  the  wide-spread  Algonquin  family,  who,  after 
spreading  along  the  Atlantic  from  Virginia,  as  far  as  the  Gulf  of 
St.  Lawrence,  have  followed  up  the  great  chain  of  lakes,  to  this 
region,  leaving  tribes  of  more  or  less  variation  of  language  on  the 
way.  There  may  have  been  a  thousand  years,  or  more,  expended 
on  this  ethnological  track,  and  the  names  by  which  they  were,  at 
various  ages  and  places,  known,  are  only  important  as  being  de- 
rivatives from  a  generic  stock  of  languages  whose  radicals  are 
readily  recognized.  Furthest  removed,  in  the  line  of  migration, 
appear  the  Mohicans,  Lenno  Lenawpees,  Susquehannocks,  and 
Powatans,  and  their  congeners.  The  tribes  of  this  continent 
appear,  indeed,  to  have  been  impelled  in  circles,  resembling  the 
whirlwinds  which  have  swept  over  its  surface ;  and,  so  far  as 
relates  to  the  mental  power  which  set  them  in  motion,  the  com- 
parison also  holds  good,  for  the  effects  of  their  migrations  appear, 
everywhere,  to  have  been  war  and  destruction.  One  age  appears 
to  produce  no  wiser  men  than  another.  Having  no  mode  of 
recording  knowledge,  experience  dies  with  the  generation  who 
felt  it,  all  except  the  doubtful  and  imprecise  data  of  tradition ; 
and  this  is  little  to  be  trusted,  after  a  century  or  two.  For  the 
matter  of  exact  historj^,  they  might  as  well  trace  themselves  to 
the  moon,  as  some  of  their  mythological  stories  do,  as  to  any  other 
planet,  or  part  of  a  planet.  Of  their  language,  the  only  certainly 
reliable  thing  in  their  history,  a  vocabulary  is  given  in  the  Ap- 
pendix, To  the  ear,  it  appears  flowing  and  agreeable,  and 
not  of  difficult  utterance ;  and  there  is  abundant  reason,  on  be- 
holding how  readily  they  express  themselves,  for  the  plaudits 
which  ,  the  early  French  writers  bestowed  on  the  Algonquin 
language. 

We  observed  the  custom  of  these  Indians  of  placing  their  dead 
on  scaffolds.  The  corpse  is  carefully  wrapped  in  bark,  and  then 
elevated  on  a  platform  made  by  placing  transverse  pieces  in  forks 
of  trees,  or  on  posts,  firmly  set  in  the  ground.  This  custom  is 
said  to  have  been  borrowed  by  the  Chippewas,  of  this  quarter, 
from  the  Dacotahs  or  Sioux.     When  they  bury  in  the  ground, 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  123 

which  is  the  general  custom,  a  roof  of  bark  is  put  over  the  de- 
ceased. This  inclosure  has  an  aperture  cut  in  it  at  the  head, 
through  Avhich  a  dish  of  food  is  set  for  the  dead.  Oblations  of 
liquor  are  also  sometimes  made.  This  ancient  custom  of  offering 
food  and  oblations  to  the  dead,  reminds  the  reader  of  similar 
customs  among  some  of  the  barbarous  tribes  of  the  oriental  world. 
We  noticed  also  symbolic  devices  similar  to  those  seen  at  Huron 
Eiver  or  Lake  Superior,  inscribed  on  posts  set  at  the  head  of 
Indian  graves.  It  seems  to  be  the  prime  object  of  these  inscrip- 
tions to  reveal  the  family  name,  or  totem.,  as  it  is  called,  of  the 
deceased,  together  with  devices  denoting  the  number  of  times  he 
has  been  in  battle,  and  the  number  of  scalps  he  has  taken.  As 
this  test  of  bravery  is  the  prime  object  of  an  Indian's  life,  the 
greatest  efforts  are  made  to  attain  it. 

A  word  may  be  said  as  to  the  climate  and  soil  of  this  region, 
and  their  adaptation  to  the  purposes  of  agriculture.  By  the 
tables  of  temperature  annexed  {vide  Appendix),  the  mean  solar 
heat,  in  the  shade,  during  the  time  of  our  being  in  the  country, 
is  shown  to  be  67°.  It  is  evident  that  it  is  the  idle  habits  of  the 
Indians,  and  no  adverse  circumstances  of  climate  or  soil,  that 
prevent  their  raising  crops  for  their  subsistence. 

Arrangements  for  a  light  party  to  ascend  the  Mississippi,  and 
seek  for  its  sources,  having  been  made,  we  left  Sandy  Lake,  in 
two  canoes,  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  on  the  17th.  This 
party,  in  addition  to  his  Excellency  Gov.  Cass,  consisted  of  Dr. 
Alex.  Wolcott,  Capt.  Douglass,  Lieut.  Mackay,  Maj.  Forsyth,  and 
myself,  with  nineteen  voyageurs  and  Indians,  provisioned  for 
twelve  days.  A  ^oyage  of  about  a  mile  across  the  western  pro- 
longation of  the  lake,  brought  us  to  its  outlet — a  wide  winding 
stream,  with  a  very  perceptible  current,  and  rich  alluvial  banks, 
bearing  a  forest.  After  pursuing  it  some  mile  and  a  half,  we 
descended  a  small  rapid,  where  the  average  descent  of  water  in  a 
short  distance  may  be  perhaps  three  feet ;  it  appeared,  however, 
to  give  the  men  no  concern,  for  they  urged  their  way  down  it, 
with  full  strength  of  paddle  and  song,  and  we  soon  found  our- 
selves in  the  Mississippi,  The  first  sight  of  this  stream  reminded 
me  of  one  of  its  striking  characteristics,  at  far  lower  points, 
namely,  its  rapidity.  Its  waters  are  slightly  turbid,  with  a  red- 
dish tint.    Its  width,  at  this  point,  as  denoted  by  admeasurements 


124  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION". 

subsequently  made,*  is  three  hundred  and  thirtj-one  feet.  Its 
banks  are  alluvial  and  of  a  fertile  aspect,  bearing  a  forest  of  oaks, 
maples,  elms,  ash,  and  pines,  with  a  dense  undergrowth  of  shrub- 
bery. I  observed  a  species  of  polyganum  in  the  water's  edge, 
and  wherever  we  attempted  to  land  it  was  miry  and  the  borders 
wet  and  damp.  We  were  now,  from  our  notes,  a  hundred  and 
forty-seven  miles  due  west  of  the  head  of  Lake  Superior,  by  the 
curved  lines  of  travelling,  and  probably  one  hundred  in  an  air 
line ;  and  had  struck  the  channel  of  the  Mississippi,  not  less,  by 
the  estimates,  than  two  thousand  five  hundred  miles  above  its 
mouth  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  It  could  not,  from  the  very  vague 
accounts  we  could  obtain  from  the  traders,  originate,  at  the  utmost, 
more  than  three  hundred  miles  higher,  and  our  Canadian  voyageurs 
turned  up  the  stream,  with  that  Troubadour  air,  or  gaiic  de  cour, 
keeping  time  with  song  and  paddle,  with  which  New  France  had 
at  first  been  traversed  by  its  Champlains,  Marquetts,  and  Fronte- 
nacs.  To  conquer  distance  and  labor,  at  the  same  time,  with  a 
song,  has  occurred  to  no  other  people,  and  if  these  men  are  not 
happy,  in  these  voyages,  they,  at  least,  have  the  semblance  of  it, 
and  are  merry.  To  keep  up  this  flow  of  spirits,  and  bravery  of 
capacity  in  demolishing  distances,  they  always  overrate  the  per 
diem  travel,  which,  as  I  have  before  observed,  is  put  about  one- 
third  too  high — that  is  to  say,  their  league  is  about  two  miles. 
On  we  went,  at  this  rapid  rate,  stopping  every  half  hour  to  rest 
five  minutes.  During  this  brief  rest,  their  big  kettle  of  boiled 
corn  and  pork  was  occasionally  brought  forward,  and  dipped  in, 
with  great  fervency  of  spoon ;  but,  whether  eating  or  working, 
they  were  always  gay,  and  most  completely  relieved  from  any 
care  of  what  might  happen  to-morrow.  For  the  mess  kettle  was 
ever  most  amply  supplied,  and  not  according  to  the  scanty  pattern 
which  these  couriers  de  bois  often  encounter  in  the  Indian  trade 
on  these  summits,  when  they  are  sometimes  reduced  to  dine  on 
tripe  de  Eoche  and  sup  on  buton  de  rose ;  but  they  bore  in  mind 
that  their  employer,  namely.  Uncle  Sam,  was  a  full-handed  man, 
and  they  kept  up  a  most  commendable  mental  balance,  by  at  once 
eating  strong  and  working  strong. 

During  the  first  twenty-seven  miles,  above  the  inlet  of  Sandy 

*  Expedition  to  Hasca  Lake  in  1832. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  125 

Lake,  we  passed  six  small  rapids,  at  distances  of  three,  four,  three, 
one,  five,  and  eleven  miles,  where  the  river  sinks  its  level  twenty- 
nine  feet,  in  the  estimated  aggregate  distance  of  seven  hundred 
yards.*  Above  the  latter,  extending  twenty  miles,  to  the  point 
of  our  encampment,  there  is  no  perceptible  rapid.  It  was  eight 
o'clock  when  we  encamped,  having  been  eleven  hours  in  our 
canoes,  without  stretching  our  legs,  and  we  had  ascended  forty- 
six  miles. 

*   Vide  Appendix — Elevations. 


126  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Proceed  up  the  Mississippi  River — Its  velocity  and  character — Swan  River — Trout 
River,  and  Mushcoda  or  Prairie  River- — Rapids  ascended — Reach,  and  make  a 
portage  around  Pakagama  Falls — Enter  a  vast  lacustrine  region — Its  character 
and  productions,  vegetable  and  animal — Tortuous  channel— Vermilion  and  Deer 
Rivers — Leech  Lake  branch — Lake  Winnipek — Ascent  of  the  river  to  Upper  Red 
Cedar,  or  Cass  Lake — Physical  character  of  the  Mississippi  River. 

Our  encampment  was  near  the  mouth  of  Swan  River,  a  con- 
siderable stream,  originating  in  Swan  Lake,  near  the  head  of  the 
St.  Louis  River  of  Lake  Superior. 

We  had  been  pushing  our  way,  daily,  up  to  our  arrival  at 
Sandy  Lake ;  but  the  word,  from  leaving  that  point,  was,  em- 
phatically, push — and  we  can  hardly  be  said  to  have  taken  proper 
time  to  eat  or  sleep.  There  was  a  shower  of  rain,  during  the 
night ;  it  ceased  at  four  o'clock,  and  we  again  embarked  at  five, 
in  a  cloudy  and  misty  morning,  and  it  continued  cloudy  all  day. 
The  current  of  the  Mississippi  continues  to  be  strong ;  its  velo- 
city, during  the  ascent  of  this  day,  was  computed  by  Capt. 
Douglass  at  two  and  a  half  miles  per  hour.  We  passed  a  rapid 
about  six  miles  below  Trout  River,  where  there  is  a  computed 
descent  of  three  feet  in  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards.  A  few  miles 
before  reaching  Trout  River,  we  passed  through  a  forest  of  dead 
pines,  occupying  ridges  of  sand,  through  which  the  river  has  cut 
its  way.  Four  miles  above  the  entrance  of  Trout  River,  we 
passed  the  mouth  of  a  considerable  stream,  called  by  the  Chip- 
pewas  Mushkoda,  or  Prairie  River,  and  encamped  about  five 
hundred  yards  above  its  mouth  on  a  high  sandy  elevation.  It 
was  now  eight  o'clock  P.  M.  We  had  ascended  the  river  fifty- 
one  miles,  having  been  fifteen  hours  in  our  canoes,  and  we  here 
first  took  our  breakfast.  This  severity  of  fasting  was,  I  think, 
quite  unintentional,  the  mess-basket  being  in  the  other  canoe, 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  127 

which  kept  ahead  of  us  the  entire  day.  We  had  this  day  observed 
specimens  of  the  Unio  and  some  other  species  of  fresh- water  shells 
along  the  shore.  And  of  birds,  besides  the  duck,  plover,  and 
loon,  which  frequent  the  water,  we  noticed  the  thrush,  robin, 
blackbird,  and  crow.  The  comparative  coolness  of  the  day  ren- 
dered the  annoyance  from  mosquitos  less  severe  than  we  had 
found  them  the  preceding  day.  The  night  on  this  sandy  and 
bleak  elevation  proved  cool,  with  a  heavy  dew,  which  resulted  in 
a  dense  fog  in  the  morning.  We  found  ice  on  the  bottoms  of 
the  canoes,  which  are  turned  up  at  night,  of  the  thickness  of  a 
knife-blade. 

Our  third  day's  ascent  witnessed  no  diminution  of  the  strength 
and  alacrity  with  which  our  canoemen  urged  our  way  up  the 
stream.  We  were  off  betimes,  in  a  lowering  and  dense  atmo- 
sphere, which  obscured  objects.  After  advancing  some  six  miles, 
there  are  a  series  of  small  rapids,  which  are,  taken  together,  called 
Ka-ka-bi-ka,*  where  I  estimated  the  river  to  sink  its  level  sixteen 
feet,  in  a  short  distance ;  at  none  of  these  is  the  navigation,  how- 
ever, impeded.  The  rock  stratification  appears  too  compact  for 
sand-rock,  and  is  obscured  by  contiguous  boulders,  which  are  in- 
dicative of  the  strong  drift-formation,  which  has  spread  from  the 
north  and  east  over  this  region.  Four  miles  after  ascending  the 
last  of  the  Kakabika  Rapids,  we  landed  at  the  foot  of  the  Paka- 
gama  Falls.  Here  the  lading  was  immediately  put  ashore,  the 
canoes  landed,  and  the  whole  carried  over  an  Indian  portage  path 
of  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  yards.  This  delay  afforded  an 
opportunity  to  view  the  falls.  The  Mississippi,  at  this  point, 
forces  its  way  through  a  formation  of  quartzy  rock,  during  which 
it  sinks  its  level,  as  estimated,  twenty  feet,  in  a  distance  of  about 
three  hundred  yards.  There  is  no  perceptible  cascade  or  abrupt 
fall,  but  the  river  rushes  with  the  utmost  velocity  down  a  highly 
inclined  rocky  bed  towards  the  northeast.  It  forms  a  complete 
interruption  to  navigation,  and  must,  hereafter,  be  the  terminus 
of  the  navigation  of  that  class  of  small  steamboats  which  may  be 
introduced  above  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony.  The  general  eleva- 
tion of  the  geological  stratum  at  the  top  of  this  fall  must  be 

*  From  ka,  a  particle  affirmative  of  an  adverse  quality,  aubik,  rock,  and  ons,  a 
diminutive  inflection. 


128  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

but  little  under  fourteen  hundred  feet  above  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  * 
This  summit  bears  a  growth  of  the  yellow  pine.  I  observed, 
amongst  the  shrubs,  the  vaccinium  dumosum.  Immediately  above 
the  falls  is  a  small  rocky  island,  bearing  a  growth  of  spruce  and 
cedars,  being  the  first  island  noticed  above  Sandy  Lake.  This 
island  parts  the  channel  into  two,  at  the  precise  point  of  its  pre- 
cipitation. On  coming  to  the  head  of  these  falls,  we  appear  to 
have  reached  a  vast  geological  plateau,  consisting  of  horizontal 
deposits  of  clay  and  drift  on  the  nucleus  of  granitical  and  metamor- 
phic  rocks,  which  underlie  the  sources  of  the  Mississippi  River. 
The  vast  and  irregular  bodies  of  water  called  Leech  Lake,  Win- 
nipek,  and  Cass  Lakes,  together  with  a  thousand  lesser  lakes  of  a 
mile  or  two  in  circumference,  lie  on  this  great  diluvial  summit. 
These  lakes  spread  east  and  west  over  a  surface  of  not  less  than 
two  hundred  miles ;  most  of  them  are  connected  with  channels  of 
communication  forming  a  tortuous  and  intricate  system  of  waters, 
only  well  known  to  the  Indians ;  and  there  seems  the  less  wonder 
that  the  absolute  and  most  remote  source  of  the  Mississippi  has 
so  long  remained  a  matter  of  doubt. 

By  the  time  we  had  well  seen  the  falls,  and  made  some  sketches 
and  notes,  the  indefatigable  canoemen  announced  our  baggage  all 
carried  over  the  portage,  and  the  canoes  put  into  the  water.  Em- 
barking, at  this  point,  we  found  the  river  had  lost  its  velocity ;  it 
was  often  difficult  to  determine  that  it  had  any  current  at  all. 
We  wound  about,  by  a  most  tortuous  channel,  through  savannas 
where  coarse  species  of  grass,  flags,  reeds,  and  wild  rice  struggled 
for  the  mastery.  The  whole  country  appeared  to  be  one  flat 
surface,  where  the  sameness  of  the  objects,  the  heat  of  the  weather, 
and  the  excessively  serpentine  channel  of  the  river,  conspired  to 
render  the  way  tedious.  The  banks  of  the  river  were  but  just 
elevated  above  these  illimitable  fields  of  grass  and  aquatic  plants. 
In  these  banks  the  gulls  had  their  nests,  and  as  they  were  dis- 
turbed they  uttered  deafening  screams.  Water-fowl  were  intruded 
upon  at  every  turn,  the  blackbird  and  rail  chattered  over  their 
clusters  of  reeds  and  cat-tails ;  the  falcon  screamed  on  high,  as  he 
quietly  sailed  above  our  heads,  and  the  whole  feathered  creation 
appeared  to  be  decidedly  intruded  on  by  our  unwonted  advance 

*  Mr.  Nicollet  places  the  summit  of  the  falls  at  1,340  feet  above  the  Gulf. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  129 

into  the  great  watery  plateau,  to  say  nothing  of  the  small  and 
unimportant  class  of  reptiles  who  inhabit  the  region. 

Forty  miles  above  the  falls,  the  Kiver  Vermilion  flows  in 
through  these  savannas  on  the  left  hand ;  and  three  miles  higher 
the  Deer  Eiver  is  tributary  on  the  right  hand.  We  ascended  six 
miles  above  the  latter,  and  encamped  in  a  dry  prairie,  on  the 
same  side,  at  a  late  hour.  The  men  reported  themselves  to  have 
travelled  sixteen  leagues,  notwithstanding  their  detention  on  the 
Pakagama  Portage.  How  far  we  had  advanced,  in  a  direct  line, 
is  very  questionable.  At  one  spot,  we  estimated  ourselves  to 
have  passed,  by  the  river's  involutions,  nine  miles,  but  to  have 
advanced  directly  but  one  mile.  I  noticed,  on  the  meadow  at 
this  spot,  a  small  and  very  delicious  species  of  raspberry,  the 
plant  not  rising  higher  than  three  or  four  inches.  This  species, 
of  which  I  preserved  both  the  roots  and  fruit,  I  referred  to 
Dr.  J.  Torrey,  of  New  York,  who  pronounced  it  the  Kebus  Nut- 
kanus  of  Mogino — a  species  found  by  this  observer  in  the  Oregon 
regions.  It  is  now  known  to  occur  eastwardly,  to  upper  Michigan. 
As  night  approached  on  these  elevated  prairies,  we  observed  for 
the  first  time  the  fire-fly. 

The  next  morning  (20th)  we  were  again  in  motion  at  half-past 
five  o'clock.  It  had  rained  during  the  night,  and  the  morning 
was  cloudy,  with  a  dense  fog.  At  the  distance  of  ten  miles,  we 
passed  the  Leech  Lake  Eiver.  This  is  a  very  considerable  river, 
bringing  in,  apparently,  one-third  as  much  water  as  the  main 
branch.  It  is,  however,  but  fifty  miles  in  length,  and  is  merely 
the  outlet  of  the  large  lake  bearing  that  name.  It  was  thought 
the  current  of  the  Mississippi  denoted  greater  velocity  above  this 
point,  while  the  water  exhibited  greater  clearness.  We  had  still 
the  same  savanna  regions,  Avith  a  serpentine  channel  to  encounter. 
Through  this  the  men  urged  their  way  for  a  distance  of  thirty- 
five  miles,  when  Winnipek  Lake  displayed  itself  before  us.  The 
waters  of  this  lake  have  a  whitish,  slightly  turbid  aspect,  after  the 
prevalence  of  storms,  which  appears  to  reveal  its  shallowness, 
with  a  probably  whitish  clay  bottom.  The  Chippewa  name  of 
Winnebeegogish*  is,  indeed,  derivative  from  this  circumstance. 
This  lake  is  stated  to  be  ten  miles  in  its  greatest  length.     We 

*  From  weenud,  dirty,  heegog,  waters,  and  ish,  a  derogative  inflection  of  nouns. 

9 


130  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

crossed  it  transversely  in  order  to  strike  the  inlet  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, and  encamped  on  the  other  side.  In  this  transit  we  met  a 
couple  of  Indian  women  in  a  canoe,  who,  being  interrogated  by 
the  interpreter,  stated  that  they  came  to  observe  whether  the  wild 
rice,  which  is  quite  an  item  of  the  Indian  subsistence  in  this 
quarter,  was  matured  enough  to  be  tied  into  clusters  for  beating 
out.  We  estimated  our  advance  this  day,  by  the  time  denoted 
by  the  chronometer,  at  iifty-one  miles. 

We  were  again  in  our  canoes  the  next  morning  at  half-past 
four  o'clock.  In  coasting  along  the  north  shores  of  Winnipek 
Lake,  an  object  of  limy  whiteness  attracted  our  attention,  which 
turned  out  to  be  a  small  island  composed  of  granitical  and  other 
boulders,  which  had  served  as  the  resting-place  of  birds,  for  which 
the  region  above  the  Pakagama  Falls  is  so  remarkable,  On  land- 
ing, a  dead  pelican  was  stretched  on  the  surface.  We  had  not 
before  observed  this  species  on  the  river,  and  named  the  island 
Shayta,  from  its  Chippewa  name.  The  buzzard,  cormorant,  brant, 
eagle,  and  raven  had  hitherto  constituted  the  largest  species. 
Along  the  shores  of  the  river,  the  kingfisher  and  heron  had  been 
frequent  objects.  With  respect  to  the  cormorant,  it  was  observed 
that  the  Indians  classify  it  with  the  species  of  duck,  their  name 
for  it,  ka-ga-ge-sheeb,  signifying,  literally,  crow-duck. 

On  again  reaching  the  inlet  of  the  Mississippi,  its  size  and  ap- 
pearance corresponded  so  exactly  to  its  character  below  the  Win- 
nipek, that  it  had  evidently  experienced  but  little  or  no  change 
by  passing  through  this  lake.  The  same  width  and  volume  were 
observed  which  it  had  below  this  point;  the  same  moderate  ve- 
locity ;  the  same  borders  of  grassy  savanna,  and  the  same  tendency 
to  redouble  its  length,  by  its  contortions,  appeared.  In  some 
places,  however,  it  approaches  those  extensive  ridges  of  sandy 
formation,  bearing  pines,  which  traverse,  or  rather  bound,  these 
wide  savannas.  Through  these  channels  the  canoemen  urged 
their  course  with  their  usual  alacrity — now  stopping  a  few  mo- 
ments to  breathe,  and  then,  striking  their  paddles  again  in  the 
water  with  renewed  vigor,  and  often  starting  off  with  one  of  their 
animated  canoe-songs.  From  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning 
till  two  in  the  afternoon  we  proceeded  up  the  winding  thread  of 
this  channel,  when  the  appearance  of  a  large  body  of  water  in  the 
distance  before  us  attracted  attention.     It  was  the  first  glimpse 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  131 

we  had  of  tlie  upper  Eed  Cedar  Lake.  The  Mississippi  River 
here  deploys  itself  in  one  of  those  large  sheets  of  pellucid  water 
which  are  so  characteristic  of  its  sources.  On  reaching  the  estuary 
at  its  entrance,  a  short  halt  was  made.  A  large  body  of  the  most 
transparent  water  spread  out  before  us.  Its  outlines,  towards  the 
south,  were  only  bounded  by  the  line  of  the  horizon.  In  the 
distance  appeared  the  traces  of  wooded  islands.  If  Sandy  Lake 
had,  on  emerging  from  the  wilderness,  impressed  us  with  its  rural 
beauty,  this  far  transcended  it  in  the  variety  and  extent  of  out- 
lines, and  that  oceanic  amplitude  of  freshness,  which  so  often 
inspires  admiration  in  beholding  the  interior  American  lakes.  It 
was  determined  to  cross  a  part  of  the  lake  towards  the  north- 
east, in  order  to  strike  the  site  of  an  ancient  Indian  village  at  the 
mouth  of  Turtle  River ;  and  under  the  influences  of  a  serene  day, 
and  one  of  their  liveliest  chants,  the  men  pushed  for  that  point, 
which  was  reached  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  21st 
July.  The  spot  at  which  we  landed  was  the  verge  of  a  green 
lawn,  rising  in  a  short  distance  to  a  handsome  eminence,  crowned 
with  oaks  and  maples.  One  or  two  small  log  tenements  stood  on 
this  slope  occupied  by  two  Canadians  in  the  service  of  the  Ame- 
rican Fur  Company.  Several  wigwams  of  bark  and  poles  lifted 
their  fragile  conical  forms  on  either  side. 

In  one  of  these  tenements,  consisting  of  a  small  cabin  of  poles, 
sheathed  with  bark,  we  found  an  object  of  human  misery  which 
excited  our  sympathies.  It  was  in  the  person  of  one  of  the  Ca- 
nadians, to  whom  reference  has  been  made,  of  the  name  of  Mon- 
truille.  He  had,  in  the  often  severe  peregrinations  of  the  fur 
trade  in  this  quarter,  been  caught  in  a  snow-storm  during  the  last 
winter,  and  frozen  both  his  feet  in  so  severe  a  manner  that  they 
eventually  sloughed  off,  and  he  could  no  longer  stand  upright  or 
walk.  He  lay  on  the  ground  in  a  most  pitiable  state  of  dejection, 
with  the  stumps  of  his  legs  bound  up  with  deer  skins,  with  a  gray, 
long-neglected  beard,  and  an  aspect  of  extreme  despair.  English  he 
could  not  speak;  and  the  French  he  uttered  was  but  an  abuse  of  the 
noble  gift  of  language  to  call  down  denunciations  on  those  who  had 
deserted  him,  or  left  him  thus  to  his  fate.  A  rush  mat  lay  under 
him.  He  had  no  covering.  He  was  emaciated  to  the  last  degree, 
every  bone  in  his  body  seemed  visible  through  the  skin.  His 
cheeks  were  fallen  in,  and  his  eyes  sunk  in  their  sockets,  but 


132  NAERATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITIOX. 

darting  a  look  of  despair.  His  Indian  wife  had  deserted  him. 
Food,  of  an  inadequate  quality,  was  occasionally  thrown  in  to 
him.  Such  were  the  accounts  we  received.  Governor  Cass  di- 
rected groceries,  ammunition,  and  presents  of  clothing  to  be  made 
to  him,  to  the  latter  of  which,  every  member  of  the  party  added. 
He  also  engaged  a  person  to  convey  him  to  Sandy  Lake. 

We  examined  the  environs  of  the  place  with  interest;  the 
village  occupies  the  north  banks  of  Turtle  Kiver  Valley.  Turtle 
Eiver,  which  cuts  its  way  through  this  slope  and  plain,  consti- 
tutes the  direct  line  of  intercourse  for  the  Indian  trade,  through 
Turtle  and  Eed  Lakes,  to  the  Red  River  Valley  of  Hudson's  Bay. 
On  inquiry,  we  learned  that  this  river  had  constituted  the  ancient 
Indian  line  of  communication  by  canoes  and  portages,  from  time 
immemorial,  wdth  that  valley,  the  distance  to  the  extreme  plateau, 
or  summit,  being  about  sixty  miles.  On  this  summit,  within  a 
couple  of  miles  of  each  other,  lie  Turtle  and  Red  Lakes,  the  one 
having  its  discharge  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  the  other  into 
Hudson's  Bay.  When  Canada  was  settled  by  the  French,  this 
aboriginal  route  was  adopted.  The  fur  companies  of  Great  Bri- 
tain, on  coming  into  possession  of  the  country,  after  the  fall  of 
Quebec,  1759,  followed  the  same  route.  The  factors  of  these  com- 
panies told  Lieutenant  Pike,  in  1806,  at  Sandy  Lake  and  Leech 
Lake,  that  the  Turtle  portage  was  the  only  practicable  route  of 
communication  to  the  Red  River,  and  that  it  was  the  true  source 
of  the  Mississippi;  and  they  furnished  him  manuscript  maps  of 
the  country  conformable  to  these  views.  The  region  has  actually 
been  in  possession  of  the  Americans  only  since  1806,  adopting  • 
the  era  of  Pike's  visit. 

By  inquiry  from  the  Chippewa  Indians  at  this  village,  sanctioned 
by  the  Canadian  authorities,  we  are  informed  that  the  Mississippi 
falls  into  the  south  end  of  Cass  Lake,  at  the  distance  of  eight  or 
ten  miles ;  that  it  reaches  that  point  from  the  west,  by  a  series  of 
sharp  rapids  stretching  over  an  extent  of  about  forty  miles  from 
a  large  lake  ;*  and  that  this  celebrated  stream  originates  in  Lac  la 
Biche,  about  six  days'  journey  from  our  present  position,  and  has 
many  small  lakes,  rapids,  and  falls.  It  is  further  asserted  by  the 
Indians,  that  the  water  in  these  remote  streams,  and  upon  these 

*  Called  Andrusia.     Expedition  to  Starca  Lake  in  1837. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  133 

rapids,  is  at  all  times  shallow,  but  it  is  particularly  so  this  season ; 
and  that  it  is  not  practicable  to  reach  these  remote  sources  of  the 
river  with  boats,  or  large  canoes  of  the  size  we  have. 

On  submitting  these  facts  to  the  gentlemen  composing  his  party, 
Governor  Cass  asked  each  one  to  give  his  views,  beginning  with 
the  youngest,  and  to  express  his  opinion  on  the  feasibility  of 
further  explorations.  They  concurred  in  opinion  that,  in  the 
present  low  state  of  the  water  on  these  summits,  considering  the 
impossibility  of  ascending  them  with  our  present  craft,  and  in  the 
actual  state  of  our  provisions,  such  an  attempt  was  impracticable. 
Thereon,  he  announced  his  decision  to  rejoin  our  party  at  Sandy 
Lake,  and  to  pursue  the  exploration  of  the  river  down  its  chan- 
nel to  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  to  the  inlet  of  the  Wisconsin  and 
Fox  Eivers,  and  to  return  into  the  great  lake  basins,  and  complete 
their  circumnavigation. 

Having  reached  the  ultimate  geographical  point  visited  by, the 
expedition,  I  thought  it  due  to  the  energy  and  enlightened  zeal 
of  the  gentleman  who  had  led  us,  to  mark  the  event  by  naming 
this  body  of  water  in  my  journal  Cassina,  or  Cass  Lake.  There 
was  the  more  reason  for  this  in  the  nomenclature  of  the  geo- 
graphy of  the  upper  Mississippi,  by  observing  that  it  embraces 
another  Eed  Cedar  Lake.  The  latitude  of  upper  Red  Cedar,  or 
Cass  Lake,  is  placed  by  Pike  at  47°  42'  40".*  Its  distance  above 
Sandy  Lake,  by  the  involutions  of  the  river,  is  two  hundred  and 
seventy  miles,  and  from  Fond  du  Lac,  at  the  head  of  Lake  Su- 
perior, by  the  travelled  route,  four  hundred  and  thirty  miles.  It 
is  situated  seventeen  degrees  north  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  from 
which  it  is  computed  to  be  distant  two  thousand  nine  hundred 
and  seventy-eight  geographical  miles.  Estimating  the  distance 
to  the  actual  origin  of  the  river,  as  determined  at  a  subsequent 
period,  at  one  hundred  and  eighty-two  miles  above  Cass  Lake,  the 
length  of  the  Mississippi  River  is  shown  to  be  three  thousand 
one  hundred  and  sixty  miles,t  making  a  direct  line  over  the 
earth's  surface  of  more  than  half  the  distance  from  the  arctic 
circle  to  the  equator.  It  may  also  be  observed  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, that  its  sources  lie  in  a  region  of  snows  and  long-continued 

*  Nicollet,  in  the  report  of  his  exploration  of  1836,  places  it  in  47°  25'  2Z". 
\   Vide  Expedition  to  St.isca  Lake  in  1832. 


134  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

winter,  while  it  enters  the  ocean  under  the  latitude  of  perpetual 
verdure;  and  at  last,  as  if  disdaining  to  terminate  its  career  at  the 
ordinary  point  of  embouchure  of  other  large  rivers,  has  pro- 
truded its  banks  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  more  than  a  hundred 
miles  beyond  any  other  part  of  the  main.  To  have  visited  both 
the  source  and  the  mouth  of  the  stream  has  fallen  to  the  lot  of  but 
few,  and  I  believe  there  is  no  person  living  beside  myself  of 
whom  the  remark  can  be  made.  On  the  tenth  of  July,  1819,  I 
passed  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  in  a  brig  bound  for 
New  York,  after  descending  it  in  a  steamboat  from  St.  Louis,  but 
little  thinking  I  should  soon  visit  its  waters,  yet,  on  the  twenty- 
first  of  July  of  the  following  year,  I  reached  its  sources  in  this 
lake. 

In  deciding  upon  the  physical  character  of  the  Mississippi 
Eiver,  it  may  be  advantageously  considered  under  four  natural 
divisions,  as  indicated  by  permanent  differences  in  its  geological 
and  physical  character — its  vegetable  productions,  and  its  velocity 
and  general  hydrographical  character.  Originating  in  a  region 
of  lakes  upon  the  table-lands  Avhich  throw  their  waters  north 
into  Hudson's  Bay,  south  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  east  into 
the  Gulf  of  St.  LaAvrence,  it  pursues  its  course  south  to  the  Falls 
of  Pakagama,  a  distance  of  two  hundred  and  thirty  miles,  through 
natural  meadows  or  savannas  covered  with  wild  rice,  rushes,  reeds 
and  coarse  grasses,  and  aquatic  plants.  During  the  distance,  it  is 
extremely  devious  in  its  course  and  width,  often  expanding  into 
lakes  which  connect  themselves  through  a  vast  system  of  reticu- 
lated channels.  Leech  Lake,  Cass  Lake,  and  Lake  Andrusia 
would  themselves  be  regarded  as  small  interior  seas,  were  they 
on  any  other  part  of  the  continent  but  that  which  develops  Su- 
perior, Michigan,  Huron,  Erie,  and  Ontario.  Its  velocity  through 
the  upper  plateau  is  but  little,  and  it  affords  every  facility  for  the 
breeding  of  water  fowl  and  the  small  furred  quadrupeds,  the 
favorite  reliance  of  a  nomadic  population. 

At  the  Falls  of  Pakagama,  the  first  rock  stratum  and  the  first 
wooded  island  is  seen.  Here  the  river  has  an  aggregate  fall  of 
twenty  feet,  and  from  this  point  to  St.  Anthony's  Falls,  a  distance 
of  six  hundred  miles,  it  exhibits  its  second  characteristic  division. 
The  granitical  and  metamorphic  rocks,  which  support  the  vast 
plateaux  and  beds  of  draft  of  its  sources,  are  only  apparent  above 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  135 

this  point,  in  boulders.  The  permanent  strata  are  but  barely 
concealed  at  several  rapids  below  the  Pakagama,  but  appear 
plainly  below  the  influx  of  the  De  Corbeau,  at  Elk  Eiver,  Little 
Falls,  and  near  Sac  Eiver.  And  this  system  of  rock  is  succeeded, 
before  reaching  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  by  the  horizonal  white 
sand  rock  and  its  superior  limestone  series  of  the  carboniferous 
formation. 

Vegetation  is  developed  as  the  river  descends  towards  the  south. 
A  forest  of  maples,  elm,  oak,  ash,  and  birch,  is  interspersed  with 
spruce,  birch,  poplar,  and  pine  above  the  Pakagama,  and  continues, 
in  favorable  positions,  throughout  this  division.  The  black  walnut 
is  first  seen  below  Sandy  Lake,  and  the  sycamore  below  the  Eiver 
De  Corbeau.  The  river  in  this  division  has  numerous  well- 
wooded  islands ;  its  velocity  is  a  striking  feature ;  it  abounds 
with  rapids,  none  of  which,  however,  oppose  serious  obstacles 
to  its  navigation.  Agreeably  to  memoranda  kept,*  it  has  fifty- 
six  distinct  rapids,  including  the  Little  and  Big  Falls,  in  all  of 
which  the  river  has  an  aggregate  estimated  descent  of  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty -four  feet,  within  a  distance  of  fourteen  thousand 
six  hundred  and  forty  yards,  or  about  eight  miles.  The  mean 
fall  of  the  current,  exclusive  of  these  rapids,  may  be  computed  at 
nearly  six  inches  per  mile. 

The  course  of  the  rivej,  below  the  Falls  of  Pakagama,  is  still 
serpentine,  but  strikingly  less  so  than  above,  and  its  bends  are 
not  so  short  and  abrupt.  The  general  course  of  this  river,  till  it 
reaches  the  rock  formation  of  Pakagama,  is  from  the  west. 
Thence,  to  Sandy  Lake  inlet,  it  flows  generally  southeast ;  from 
this  point  to  the  inlet  of  the  De  Corbeau  or  Crow  Wing,  it  is 
deflected  to  the  southwest ;  thence  almost  due  south,  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Watab  Eiver ;  and  thence  again  southeast  to  the  Falls  of 
St.  Anthony.  A  geographical  line  dropped  from  the  inlet  of 
Sandy  Lake,  where  the  channel  is  first  deflected  to  the  southwest, 
•to  St.  Anthony's  Falls,  or  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Peter's,t  forms  a 
vast  bow-shaped  area  of  prairie  and  forest  lands  of  high  agricul- 
tural capabilities,  whose  future  products  must  be  carried  to  a 
market  through  the  Fond  du  Lac  of  Lake  Superior.     These 

*    Vide  Appendix. 

i  Now  called  Minnesota  River. 


136  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

prairies  and  grove  lands,  wliicli  cannot  square  less  ttian  two  by 
four  hundred  miles,  constitute  the  ancient  area  of  the  Issati,*  and 
are  now  the  resort  of  great  herds  of  the  buffalo,  elk,  and  deer; 
and  it  is  a  region  known  as  the  predatory  border,  or  battle-ground 
of  the  Chippewas  and  Dacotas. 

*   Vide  Hennepin. 


NARKATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  137 


CHAPTEE    XI. 

Physical  traits  of  the  Mississippi — The  elevation  of  its  sources — Its  velo^ity  and 
mean  descent — Etymology  of  the  name  Mississippi — Descent  of  the  river  to  Sandy 
Lake,  and  thence  to  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony — Recross  the  great  Bitobi  Sa- 
vanna— Pakagama  formation — Description  of  the  voyage  from  Sandy  Lake  to 
Pine  River — Brief  notices  of  the  natural  history. 

The  third  geographical  division  in  which  it  is  proposed  to 
consider  the  Mississippi,  begins  at  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony. 
AYithin  half  a  day's  march,  before  reaching  this  point  from  its 
sources,  the  primitive  and  crystallized,  and  the  altered  and  basal- 
tic rocks  are  succeeded  by  the  great  limestone  and  sandstone 
horizontal  series  of  the  carboniferous,  magnesian,  and  metalliferous 
rocks,  which  constitute  by  themselves  so  extraordinary  a  body  of 
geological  phenomena.  Entering  on  the  level  of  the  white  sand- 
stone stratum,  which  is  fundamental  in  this  column,  about  the 
inlet  of  Eum  River,  the  Mississippi  urges  its  way  over  a  gently 
inclining  bed  of  this  rock,  to  the  brink  of  this  cataract,  where  it 
drops  perpendicularly  about  sixteen  feet ;  but  the  whole  descent 
of  its  level  from  the  head  to  the  foot  of  the  portage  path,  cannot 
be  less  than  double  that  height. 

The  river,  at  this  point,  enters  a  valley  which  is  defined  by  rocky 
cliffs,  which  attain  various  elevations  from  one  to  three  hundred 
feet,  presenting  a  succession  of  picturesque  or  sublime  views.  In 
some  places  these  cliffs  present  a  precipitous  and  abrupt  facade, 
washed  by  the  current.  In  far  the  greatest  number  of  cases,  the 
eminence  has  lost  its  sharp  angles  through  the  effects  of  frosts, 
rains,  and  elemental  action,  leaving  a  slope  of  debris  at  the  foot- 
As  the  river  descends,  it  increases  in  volume  and  in  the  extent  of 
its  alluvions.  These  form,  in  an  especial  manner,  its  characteristic 
features  from  St.  Anthony's  Falls  to  the  junction  of  the  Missouri, 
a  distance  of  not  less  than  eight  hundred  miles.     The  principal 


138  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

tributaries  which  it  receives  in  this  distance,  are,  on  the  right,  the 
St.  Peter's,  Upper  and  Lower  Iowa,  Turkey  River,  Desmoines,  and 
Salt  Rivers ;  and,  on  the  left,  the  St.  Croix,  Chippewa,  "Wisconsin, 
Rock  River,  and  the  Illinois.  One  hundred  miles  below  St.  An- 
thony, it  expands  for  a  distance  of  twenty-four  miles  into  the  sylvan 
sheet  of  Lake  Pepin,  at  the  foot  of  which  it  receives  the  large 
volume  of  the  Chippewa  River,  which  originates  on  the  sandy 
tracts  at  the  sources  of  the  Wisconsin,  Montreal,  and  Ontonagon ; 
and  it  is  from  this  point  that  its  continually  widening  channel 
exhibits  those  innumerable  and  changing  sand-bars,  which  so 
embarrass  the  navigation.  But  in  all  this  distance,  it  is  only  at 
the  Desmoines  and  Rock  River  rapids  that  any  permanent  serious 
impediment  is  found  in  its  navigation,  with  the  larger  craft. 

The  fourth  change  in  the  physical  aspect  of  this  river,  is  at  the 
junction  of  the  Missouri,  and  this  is  an  almost  total  and  complete 
one;  for  this  river  brings  down  such  a  vast  and  turbid  flood  of 
commingled  earths  and  floating  matter,  that  it  characterizes  this 
stream  to  its  entrance  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  If  its  length  of 
channel,  velocity,  and  other  leading  phenomena  had  been  accu- 
rately known  at  an  early  day,  it  should  also  have  carried  its  name 
from  this  point  to  the  ocean.  Down  to  this  point,  the  Mississippi, 
at  its  summer  phases,  carries  the  character  of  a  comparatively 
clear  stream.  But  the  Missouri,  which,  from  its  great  length  and 
remote  latitude,  has  a  summer  freshet,  flows  in  with  a  flood  so 
turbid  and  opaque,  that  it  immediately  communicates  its  quali- 
ties and  hue  to  the  milder  Mississippi.  At  certain  seasons,  the 
struggle  between  the  clear  and  turbid  waters  of  the  two  streams 
can  be  seen,  at  opposite  sides  of  the  river,  at  the  distance  of 
twenty  or  thirty  miles.  Entire  trees,  sometimes  ninety  feet  long, 
with  their  giant  arms,  are  swept  down  the  current;  and  it  is  not 
unusual,  at  its  highest  flood,  to  observe  large,  spongy  masses  of  a 
species  of  pseudo  pumice  carried  into  its  channel,  from  some  of  its 
higher  western  tributaries. 

To  such  a  moving,  overpowering  liquid  mass,  there  are  still, 
below  the  Missouri,  rocky  banks,  and  occasionally  isolated  cliffs, 
to  stand  up  and  resist  its  sweep ;  but  its  alluvions  become  wider 
and  deeper  opposite  to  these  rocky  barriers.  Its  bends  stretch 
over  greater  distances,  and  its  channel  grows  deeper  at  every  ac- 
cession of  a  tributary.     The  chief  of  these,  after  passing  the 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION,  139 

Missouri,  are  from  the  Eocky  Mountains  and  Ozark  slopes,  the 
St.  Francis,  White,  Arkansas,  and  Eed  Eivers;  and  from  the  other 
bank  the  Kaskaskia,  the  Ohio,  Wolf,  and  Yazoo.  It  is  estimated 
to  flow  twelve  hundred  miles  below  the  Missouri.  Its  width  is 
about  one  mile  opposite  St.  Louis.  It  is  narrower  but  more  than 
twice  the  depth  at  New  Orleans,  and  yet  narrower,  because  more 
divided,  at  its  embouchure  at  the  Balize,  where  a  bar  prevents 
ships  drawing  over  eighteen  feet  of  water  from  entering. 

No  attempt  has  heretofore  been  made  to  determine  the  eleva- 
tion of  that  part  of  the  American  continent  which  gives  rise  to 
the  Mississippi  Eiver.  From  the  observations  made  on  the  ex- 
pedition, the  elevation  is  confessedly  less  than  would  a  priori 
be  supposed.  If  it  is  not,  like  the  Nile,  cradled  among  mount- 
ains, whose  very  altitude  and  position  are  unknown,  there  is 
enough  of  the  unknown  about  its  origin  to  wish  for  more  infor- 
mation. Originating  on  a  vast  continental  plateau,  or  water-shed, 
the  superabundance  of  its  waters  are  drained  off  by  the  three 
greatest  rivers  of  North  America,  namely,  the  St.  Lawrence,  the 
Nelson's  rivers  of  Hudson's  Bay,  and  the  Mississippi.  Yet  the 
apex  of  this  height  of  land  is  moderate,  although  its  distance 
from  the  sea  at  either  point  is  immense.  From  the  best  data  at 
command,  I  have  endeavored  to  come  at  the  probable  altitude  of 
this  plateau,  availing  myself  at  the  same  time  of  the  judgment  of 
the  several  members  of  the  expedition.  Taking  the  elevation  of 
Lake  Erie  above  tide-water,  as  instrumentally  determined,  in  the 
New  York  surveys,  as  a  basis,  we  find  Lake  Superior  lying  at 
an  altitude  of  six  hundred  and  forty-one  feet  above  the  Atlantic. 
From  thence,  through  the  valley  of  the  St.  Louis,  and  across  the 
Savanna  summit,  to  the  Mississippi,  at  the  confluence  of  the  Sandy 
Lake  Eiver,  estimates  noted  on  the  route,  indicate  an  aggregate 
rise  of  four  hundred  and  ninety  feet.  The  ascent  of  the  river, 
from  this  point  to  Cass  Lake,  is  estimated  to  be  one  hundred  and 
sixty-two  feet;  giving  this  lake  an  aggregate  elevation  of  thirteen 
hundred  and  ninety-three  feet  above  the  Atlantic.  Barometrical 
admeasurements  made  in  1836,  by  Mr.  Nicollet,  in  the  service  of 
the  United  States  Topographical  Bureau,  place  the  elevation  of 
this  lake  at  fourteen  hundred  and  two  feet  above  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,*  being  just  twelve  feet  above  these  early  estimates.    The 

*  Senate  Document  No.  237,  2G  Con.  2d  Session,  A.  D.  1843. 


140  NAERATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

same  authority  estimates  its  length  from  the  Balize,  at  twenty- 
seven  hundred  and  fifty  miles.  Its  velocity  below  Cass  Lake  may 
be  estimated  to  result  from  a  mean  descent  of  a  fraction  over  five 
inches  per  mile. 

The  name  of  the  Mississippi  Eiver  is  derived  from  the  Algon- 
'  quin  language,  through  the  medium  of  the  French.  The  term 
appears  first  in  the  early  missionary  letters  from  the  west  end  of 
Lake  Superior  about  1660.  Sippi,  agreeably  to  the  early  French 
annotation  of  the  word,  signifies  a  river.  The  prefixed  word 
Missi  is  an  adjective  denoting  all,  and,  when  applied  to  various 
waters,  means  the  collected  or  assembled  mass  of  them.  The 
compound  term  is  then,  properly  speaking,  an  adverb.  Thus, 
Missi-gago,  means  all  things ;  Missi-gago-gidjetod,  He  who  has 
made  all  things — the  Creator.  It  is  a  superlative  expression,  of 
which  great  river  simply  would  be  a  most  lean,  impracticable, 
and  inadequate  expression.  It  is  only  symbolically  that  it  can  be 
called  the  father  of  American  rivers,  unless  such  sense  occurs  in 
the  other  Indian  tongues. 

Finding  it  impracticable  to  proceed  higher  in  the  search  of  the 
remote  sources  of  the  river  at  this  time,  a  return  from  this  point 
was  determined  on.  The  vicinity  had  been  carefully  scanned  for 
its  drift  specimens,  and  fresh-water  conchology.  Wishing  to 
carry  along  some  further  memorial  of  the  visit,  members  of  the 
party  cut  walking-canes  in  the  adjoining  thickets,  and  tied  them 
carefully  together;  and  at  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  (21st  July) 
we  embarked  on  our  descent.  An  hour's  voyage  over  the  surface 
of  this  wide  lake,  with  its  refreshing  views  of  northern  scenery, 
brought  us  to  the  point  where  the  Mississippi  issues  from  it. 
Never  did  men  ply  their  paddles  with  greater  animation;  and 
having  the  descent  now  in  their  favor,  they  proceeded  eighteen 
miles  before  they  sought  for  a  spot  to  encamp.  Twilight  still 
served,  with  almost  the  clearness  of  daylight,  while  we  spread 
our  tents  on  a  handsome  eminence  on  the  right-hand  shore.  Day- 
light had  not  yet  dawned  the  next  morning,  when  we  resumed 
the  descent.  It  was  eight  o'clock  A.M.  when  we  reached  the 
border  of  Lake  Winnipek.  This  name,  by  the  way,  is  derived 
from  a  term  heretofore  given,  which,  having  the  Chippewa 
inflection  of  nouns  in  ish,  graphically  describes  that  peculi- 
arity of  its  waters  created  by  the  disturbance  of  a  clay  bottom. 


KARKATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  141 

The  winds  were  high  and.  adverse,  which  caused  the  canoemen 

to  toil  two  hours  in  crossing.     After  reaching  the  river  again, 

we  passed  its  sedgy  borders,  to,  and  through  Rush  Lake,  or  the 

Little  Winnipek;  then  by  the  inlet  of  Leech  Lake  Eiver,  .and 

through  the  contortions  of  its  channel,  to  within  a  few  miles  of 

the  spot  of  our  encampment  at  Deer  River,  on  the  20th. 

The  great  savannas,  through  which  the  Mississippi  winds  itself 

above  the  Pakagama,  are  called  collectively,  the  Gatchi  Betobeeg, 

Great  Morasses,  or  bog  meadows. 

"While  descending  the  river,  we  encountered  nine  canoes  filled 
•  .  .  . 

with  Chippewa  Indians  and  their  families.     They  were  freighted 

with  heavy  rolls  of  birch-bark,  such  as  their  canoes  are  made 

from;  too;ether  with  bundles  of  rushes  designed  for  mats.     The 

7  O  O 

annoyance  suffered  from  mosquitos  on  this  great  plateau,  was 
almost  past  endurance.  We  embarked  again  at  a  quarter  past 
four,  and  reached  the  Falls  of  Pakagama  at  five  o'clock.  Just 
forty  minutes  were  spent  in  making  the  portage.  The  rock  at 
this  spot  is  quartzite.  The  day  was  cloudy,  with  some  rain. 
As  night  approached  an  animal,  judged  to  be  the  wolverine,  was 
seen  swiming  across  the  stream.  The  efforts  of  the  men  to  over- 
take it  were  unavailing;  it  nimbly  eluded  pursuit,  and  dashed 
away  into  the  thickets.  In  some  queries  sent  to  me  by  the 
New  York  Lyceum,  this  animal  is  alluded  to  as  a  species  of  the 
glutton.  The  Indians  said  there  was  no  animal  in  their  country 
deserving  this  name;  the  only  animal  they  knew  deserving 
of  it,  was  the  horse;  which  was  eating  all  the  time.  We  en- 
camped on  an  abrupt  sandy  bank,  where,  however,  sleep  was 
impossible.  Between  the  humidity  of  the  atmosphere  and  the 
denseness  of  the  foliage  arourfd  us,  the  insect  world  seemed 
to  have  been  wakened  into  unusual  activity.  Besides,  we  en- 
camped so  late,  and  were  so  jaded  by  a  long  day's  travel,  that 
the  mosquito-nets  were  neglected.  To  get  up  and  stand  be- 
fore a  camp-fire  at  midnight  and  switch  'off  the  mosquitos,  re- 
quires as  much  philosophy  as  to  write  a  book;  and  at  any  rate, 
ours  completely  failed.  We  were  again  in  our  canoes  (2-4th), 
at  an  early  hour.  Daylight  apprised  us  of  the  clearing  up  of  the 
atmosphere,  and  brought  us  one  of  the  most  delightful  days. 
Animated  by  these  circumstances,  we  descended  the  stream 
with  rapidity.     Soon  after  midday,  we  entered  and  ascended  the 


142  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

short  channel  of  the  Sandy  Lake  Eiver,  and,  by  two  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  we  rejoined  our  camp  at  the  Fur  Company's  Fort, 
having  been  three  days  in  descending  a  distance  which  had  con- 
sumed four  and  a  half  in  the  ascent. 

We  were  received  with  joy  and  acclamation  by  the  Sandy 
Lake  party,  and  felicitated  ourselves  on  the  accomplishment  of 
what  had  all  along  appeared  as  the  most  arduous  part  of  our 
route.  Nor  had  we  indeed,  overrated  its  difficulties ;  the  inces- 
sant motion  of  travelling  depriving  us  of  mature  opportunities  of 
observation,  and  also  rest  at  night,  the  stings  of  the  mosquitos 
whenever  we  attempted  to  land,  and  the  cravings  of  an  often  un- 
satisfied appetite,  had  made  this  visit  one  of  peculiar  privation 
and  fatigue.  "Without  such  an  effort,  however,  it  is  doubtful 
whether  the  principal  objects  of  the  expedition  could  have  been 
accomplished.  Nothing  untoward  had  happened  at  the  camp, 
no  difficulty  had  occurred  with  the  Indians,  and  all  the  party 
were  in  good  health.  Having  left  my  thermometer  with  Mr. 
Doty,  during  my  absence,  the  observations  made  by  him  are 
denoted  in  the  appendix. 

The  following  day  was  fixed  on  for  our  departure  for  the  Falls 
of  St.  Anthony.  The  distance  to  these  falls  is  generally  put  by 
the  traders  at  from  five  to  six  hundred  miles.  These  estimates 
denote,  however,  rather  the  difficulties  and  time  employed  by  days' 
journeys  in  the  trade  than  any  other  measurements.*  Pike  states 
the  latitude  some  thirteen  minutes  too  far  north.  It  is  found  to 
be  46°  47'  10".  It  appears  from  Lieut.  Pike  {Expt.  p.  60),  that 
the  stockade  at  this  place  was  erected  in  1794.  Its  elevation 
above  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  is  1,253  feet.  The  soil  of  the  environs 
yields  excellent  potatoes,  and  such  culinary  vegetables  as  have 
been  tried.  The  mean  temperature  of  July  is  denoted  to  be  73°. 
The  post  is  one  of  importance  in  the  fur  trade.  It  yields  the 
deer,  moose,  bear,  beaver,  otter,  martin,  muskrat,  and  some  other 
species,  whose  skins  or  pelts  are  valuable. 

It  was  twelve  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  25th,  before  we 
were  ready  to  embark.  Our  flotilla  now  consisted  of  three  canoes, 
of  the  kind  called  Canoe-allege  in  the  trade,  and  a  barge  occupied 

*  Nicollet,  in  his  report  to  tlie  Top.  Bureau,  in  1836,  states  the  direct  distance 
from  St.  Peter's  to  Sandy  Lake,  at  but  334  miles. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  143 

by  the  military.  To  this  array,  the  chief  BabesakunJiba,  or  the 
Curly  Head,  added  a  canoe  filled  with  Chippewa  delegates,  who 
accompanied  him  on  a  mission  of  peace  to  the  Sioux.  This  chief 
is  the  same  individual  who  met  Lieut.  Pike  in  this  quarter,  in 
1806,  and  he  appears  to  be  a  man  of  much  energy  and  decision 
of  character.  His  reputation  also  gives  him  the  character  of 
great  skill,  policy,  and  bravery  in  conducting  the  war  against  the 
Sioux.  Indian  wars  are  not  conducted  as  with  us,  by  opposing 
armies.  It  is  altogether  a  guerilla  affair.  War  parties  are  raised, 
marched,  fight,  and  disperse  in  a  few  days.  The  war  is  carried 
on  altogether  by  stealth  and  stratagem.  Each  one  furnishes  him- 
self with  food  and  weapons.  In  such  a  warfare,  there  is  great 
scope  for  individual  exploits  and  daring.  In  these  wars  the 
Curly  Head  had  greatly  distinguished  himself,  and  he  was,  there- 
fore, an  ambassador  of  no  mean  power.  In  every  view,  the  mission 
assumed  an  interesting  character ;  and  we  kept  an  eye  on  the 
chiefs  movements,  on  our  journey  down  the  river,  chiefly  that  we 
might  notice  the  caution  which  is  observed  by  the  Indians  in 
entering  an  enemy's  country. 

After  entering  the  Mississippi,  below  Sandy  Lake,  the  stream 
presents  very  much  the  character  it  has  above.  It  was  below 
this  point  that  we  first  observed  the  juglans  nigra  in  the  forest. 
Its  banks  are  diluvial  or  alluvial  formations,  elevated  from  six  to 
ten  feet.  The  elm,  maple,  and  pine  are  common.  There  are  some 
small  grassy  islands,  with  tufts  of  willows,  and  driftwood  lodged. 
No  rock  strata  appear.  The  river  winds  its  way  through  vast  di- 
luvial beds,  exhibiting  at  its  rapids  granitical,  quartz,  and  trappose 
boulders.  It  appears  to  glide  wholly  over  the  primitive  or  crys- 
talline rocks,  which  rise  in  some  places  through  the  soil,  or  show 
themselves  at  rapids.  The  expedition  descended  the  stream 
twenty-eight  miles,  and  encamped  on  a  sandy  elevation  on  the 
west  shore,  near  Alder  Kiver,  which  seemed  to  promise  an  ex- 
emption from  the  annoyance  of  insects;  but  in  this  we  were  mis- 
taken. In  the  hurry  of  a  late  encampment,  it  had  been  omitted 
to  pitch  the  tents.  The  first  ill  effect  of  this  was  felt  on  being 
awakened  at  night  by  rain.  A  humid  atmosphere  is  ever  the 
signal  for  awakening  hordes  of  insects,  and  the  mosquitos  be- 
came so  troublesome  that  it  was  impossible  to  sleep  at  all  after 


144  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

the  shower.     We  got  up  and  whiled  away  the  time  as  best  we 
could  around  the  camp-fire. 

We  embarked  a  few  minutes  before  5  A.  M.,  the  morning  being 
lowering  and  overcast,  which  eventuated  in  rain  within  an  hour. 
The  atmosphere  resumed  its  serenity,  and  the  sun  shone  out  at 
noon.  The  river,  as  on  the  preceding  day,  has  its  course  between 
alluvial  and  diluvial  banks,  sweeping  its  way  over  the  smooth 
orbicular  beds  of  the  granitical  age.  The  influx  of  rivers,  the 
occurrence  of  islands,  which  bear  witness  of  their  entire  submer- 
sion during  the  freshets,  and  the  succession  of  bends,  points,  and 
rapids — these  changes,  with  notices  of  the  wild  fowl,  forest  birds, 
and  sometimes  a  quadruped,  or  a  mass  of  boulders,  absorbed  my 
notices,  which  it  seems  unimportant,  at  this  time,  to  refer  to.  No 
fixed  stratification  of  rocks  was  encountered  this  day. 

We  encamped  at  about  eight  o'clock,  on  the  east  bank,  on  an 
open  eminence,  just  below  the  rapids  which  mark  the  confluence 
of  Pine  Eiver,  having  been  in  our  canoes,  with  very  brief  and 
infrequent  landings,  fifteen  hours.  At  the  points  of  landing,  I  ob- 
served the  rosa  parviflora,  and  ipomea  nil.  As  night  approached, 
we  heard  the  monotonous  notes  of  the  caprimulgus  virginianus. 
We  had  also  observed  during  the  day,  the  bald  eagle,  king-fisher, 
turdus  polyglottis,  teal,  plover,  robin,  and  pigeon.  The  nimble 
sciuris  vulgaris  was  also  observed  on  shore.  Boulders  of  sienite, 
hornblende  rock,  silicious  slate,  sandstone,  and  quartz,  served  as 
so  many  monuments  to  testify  that  heavy  oceanic  currents  had 
heretofore  disrupted  the  northern  stratification,  and  poured  down 
over  these  long  and  gradual  geological  slopes. 

High  and  open  as  our  position  was  on  this  eminence,  our  old 
friends  the  mosquitos  did  not  forget  us.  Even  the  Indians  could 
not  endure  their  continued  attacks.  A  fine  fellow  of  our  original 
auxiliaries,  called  laba  Waddik,  or  the  Buck,  took  this  occasion  to 
give  us  a  specimen  of  his  English,  exclaiming,  as  he  came  to  the 
camp-fire,  "Tia!*  no  sneep !"  putting  the  usual  interchangeable 
n  of  the  tribe  for  the  I  in  the  noun. 

*  An  exclamation. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  145 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Description  of  the  descent  from  Pine  River — Pine  tracts — Confluence  of  the  Crow- 
wing  River — Enter  a  sylvan  region — prairies  and  groves,  occupied  by  deer,  elli, 
and  buffalo — Sport  of  bufi"alo  hunting — Reach  elevations  of  sienitic  and  meta- 
morphic  rocks — Discover  a  pictographic  inscription  of  the  Sioux,  by  which  they 
denote  a  desire  for  peace — Pass  the  Osaukes,  St.  Francis's,  Cornielle,  and  Rum 
Rivers — St.  Anthony's  Falls — Etymology  of  the  name — Geographical  considera- 
tions. 

The  night  dew  was  heavy  on  this  elevation,  and  a  dense  fog 
prevailed  at  the  hour  of  our  embarkation  (5  o'clock  A.  M.,  on 
the  27th),  The  pine  lands  come  in  with  the  valley  of  Pine  River, 
a  large  and  important  stream  tributary  from  the  west,  which  has  a 
connection  with  Leech  Lake.  These  lands  characterize  both  banks 
of  the  Mississippi  to  the  entrance  of  the  River  De  Corbeau.  We 
were  seven  hours,  with  a  strong  current,  in  passing  through  this 
tract.  It  is  to  be  observed  that  ancient  fires  have  been  permitted 
to  run  through  these  forests,  destroying  immense  quantities  of 
the  timber.  It  was  twelve  o'clock,  A.  M.,  when  we  came  opposite 
to  the  entrance  of  the  great  Crow-wing  River.*  This  stream, 
which  has  a  large  island  in  its  mouth,  is  a  prime  tributary  with  a 
large,  full-flowing  current,  and  must  bring  in  one-third  of  the  en- 
tire volume  of  water  to  this  point.f  Such  is  the  eflect  of  this 
current  on  the  opposite  shore,  that,  at  the  distance  of  a  couple 

*  Crow-wing  Riveb. — In  returningfrom  Itasca  Lake,  in  1832, 1  passed  from  Leech 
Lake  by  a  series  of  old  Indian  portages  into  Lake  Ka-ge-no-ge-maug,  or  Long  Water 
Lake,  which  is  its  source ;  and  from  thence  descended  it  to  its  entrance  into  the 
Mississippi. — Vide  Exj^  to  Itasca  Lake.  N.  Y.,  Harpers,  1834:  vol.  i.  Svo.  with 
maps. 

f  The  Indian  name  of  this  river  is  Kagiwegwon,  or  Raven's-wing,  or  Quill,  which 
is  accurately  translated  by  the  term  Aile  de  Corbeau,  but  it  is  improperly  called  Crow- 
wing.  The  Chippewa  term  for  crow  is  andaig,  and  the  French,  cornielle — terms 
which  are  appropriately  applied  to  another  stream,  nearer  St.  Anthony's  Falls. 

10 


146  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION, 

of  leagues  below,  at  a  spot  called  Prairie  Percie  by  the  French,  it 
appears  to  have  forced  its  way  headlong,  till,  meeting  obstructions 
from  the  primary  rocks,  it  was  again  deflected  south.  At  this 
point,  the  whole  face  of  the  country  has  an  exceedingly  sylvan 
aspect.  It  is  made  up  of  far-stretching  plains,  covered  with  grass 
and  wild  flowers,  interspersed  with  groves  of  oak,  maple,  and 
other  species.  The  elevation  of  these  beautiful  plains,  above  the 
river,  is  not  less  than  twenty  to  thirty  feet,  placing  them  above 
the  reach  of  high  waters.  We  were  now  passing  below  the  lati- 
tude of  46°.  Everything  indicated  a  climate  favorable  to  the 
vegetable  kingdom.  While  passing  in  the  valley,  through  the 
fine  bends  which  the  river  makes,  through  these  plains,  we  came 
to  a  hunting-camp  of  probably  one  hundred  and  fifty  Indians, 
They  were  Chippewas,  who,  on  landing  at  their  camp,  saluted  us 
in  tlie  Indian  fashion,  and  were  happy  to  exchange  some  dried 
buffalo  meat  and  pemmican,  for  corn  and  flour.  Some  miles 
below  we  observed  several  buffalo,  on  the  eastern  shore,  on  the 
sub-plains  below  the  open  bluffs.  Alarmed  by  our  approach, 
these  animals  set  out,  with  a  clumsy,  shambling  trot,  for  the  upper 
plains.  Clumsy  as  their  gait  seemed,  they  got  over  the  ground 
with  speed.  Our  whole  force  was  immediately  landed,  a  little 
below,  and  we  eagerly  climbed  the  banks,  to  engage  in  the  sport 
of  hunting  them.  Quite  a  large  drove  of  this  animal  was  seen 
on  the  prairie.  Our  best  marksmen,  and  the  Indians,  immediately 
divided  themselves,  to  approach  on  different  sides  the  herd.  Cau- 
tiously approaching,  they  fired ;  the  effect  was  to  alarm  and  divide 
them.  Most  of  the  herd  pushed  directly  to  the  spot  on  the  banks 
of  the  river,  where  the  non-combatants  of  the  party  stood ;  and 
there  arose  a  general  firing,  and  melee  of  men  and  buffaloes,  which 
made  it  quite  doubtful,  for  awhile,  who  stood  in  greatest  danger 
of  being  hit  by  the  bullets,  the  men  or  animals,  I  am  certain  the 
bullets  whizzed  about  the  position  I  occupied  on  the  top  of  the 
alluvial  cliffs.  None  of  the  herd  were,  however,  slain  at  that 
time ;  but  at  our  encampment,  a  short  distance  below,  the  flesh  of 
both  the  buffalo  and  elk  was  profusely  brought  in  by  the  Indians. 
It  is  stated  that  this  animal  lifts  both  the  feet  on  one  side,  at  the 
same  time ;  but  this  remark,  I  presume,  arises  from  a  mode  of 
throwing  its  feet  forward,  which  is  decidedly  different  from  other 
quadrupeds. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  147 

On  descending  the  river  two  miles,  the  next  morning,  we  found 
ourselves  opposite  the  mouth  of  Elk  River,  a  stream  coming  in 
from  the  west.  This  point  has  been  determined  to  be  but  four 
minutes  north  of  latitude  46°  [Sen.  Doc.  237].  A  short  distance 
below  the  river,  we  passed,  on  the  west  shore,  the  Painted  Eock, 
an  isolated  or  boulder  mass,  having  Indian  devices,  which  we  had 
no  opportunity  of  examining.  We  w^ere  now  passing  down  a 
channel  of  manifestly  increased  velocity,  and  at  the  distance  of  a 
couple  of  miles  more,  found  ourselves  hurried  through  the  west 
channel  of  the  Little  Falls.  At  this  point  the  primitive  or  basis 
stratification  over  which  we  had  been  so  long  gliding,  crosses  the 
river,  rising  up  and  dividing  it,  by  an  abrupt  rocky  island,  into 
two  channels.  The  breadth  of  the  stream  is  much  compressed, 
and  the  velocity  of  its  current  increased.  By  what  propriety  of 
language  it  is  called  "falls"  did  not,  however,  appear;  perhaps 
there  are  seasons  when  the  descent  assumes  a  greater  degree  of 
disturbance  and  velocity.  To  us,  it  appeared  to  be  about  ten  feet 
in  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards.  Here,  then,  in  N.  lat.  46°,  the  Mis- 
sissippi is  first  visibly  crossed  by  the  primary  series  of  rocks. 

Being  now  in  the  region  of  buffalo,  it  was  decided  to  land  in 
the  course  of  the  day,  for  the  purpose  of  entering  into  the  chase. 
An  occasion  for  this  was  presented  soon  after  passing  the  Little 
Falls,  by  observing  one  of  these  animals  on  shore.  On  landing, 
and  reaching  the  elevation  of  the  prairies,  two  herds  of  them  were 
discovered  at  a  distance.  An  attack  on  them  was  immediately 
planned,  for  which  the  tall  grass  and  gentle  inequalities  of  sur- 
face, appeared  favorable.  The  fire  proved  unsuccessful,  but  served 
to  distract  the  herds,  giving  scope  for  individual  marksmanship 
and  hunter  activity,  during  which,  innumerable  shots  were  fired, 
and  three  animals  killed.  While  this  scene  was  passing,  I  had  a 
good  stand  for  witnessing  the  sport,  some  of  the  herd  passing  by 
very  near,  as  with  the  blindness  of  fury.  The  bison  is  certainly 
an  animal  as  clumsy  as  the  ox,  or  domestic  cow;  but,  unlike  these, 
it  is  of  a  uniform  dun  color,  and  ever  without  being  spotted,  or 
mottled.  Its  horns  are  nearly  straight,  short,  very  black,  and  set 
wide  apart.  The  male  is  formidable  in  look,  and  ferocious  when 
woimded.  Its  ordinary  weight  is  eight  hundred  to  a  thousand 
pounds. 

It  may  be  said,  in  reference  to  this  animal  being  found  in  this 


148  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION", 

region,  that  it  is  a  kind  of  neutral  ground,  between  the  Chippewas 
and  Sioux,  neither  of  which  tribes  permanently  occupy  the  coun- 
try between  the  mouth  of  the  Eaven's-wing  and  Rum  Rivers* 

Having  spent  several  hours  in  the  chase,  we  again  embarked, 
and  proceeded  down  the  river  until  three  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon. On  the  left  bank  of  the  river  two  prominent  elevations  of 
the  granitical  series,  rising  through  the  prairie  soil,  attracted  my 
attention.  Immediately  below  this  locality,  a  high  and  level  prairie 
stretches  on  the  west  shore,  which  had  a  striking  appearance  from 
its  being  crowned  with  the  poles  and  fixtures  of  a  large,  recently 
abandoned  Sioux  encampment.  At  this  spot  the  expedition 
landed  and  encamped.  The  quick  glances  of  Babasikundiba  and 
his  party  of  delegates  immediately  discovered  a  pole,  at  the  site  of 
the  chief's  lodge,  bearing  a  birch  bark  scroll,  or  letter,  inscribed 
with  Indian  hieroglyphics,  or  devices.  It  turned  out  that  this 
spot  was  the  northern  terminus  of  a  Sioux  peace  embassage,  dis- 
patched from  St.  Peter's  shortly  previous,  under  the  direction  of 
Col.  H.  Leavenworth,  U.  S.  A.,  the  newly-arrived  commanding 
ofiicer  at  that  post.  The  message  was  eagerly  received  and  read 
by  the  Chippewa  delegates.  By  it  they  were  informed  that  the 
Sioux  also  desired  a  termination  of  hostilities.  The  scroll  was 
executed  by  tracing  lines,  with  the  point  of  a  knife,  or  some  sharp 
instrument.  The  pictographic  devices  thus  drawn  denoted  the 
exact  number  of  the  party,  their  chiefs,  and  the .  authority  under 
which  these  crude  negotiations  were  commenced. 

Of  this  mode  of  communicating  ideas  among  the  Algonquin 
tribes,  we  have  before  given  details  in  crossing  the  boggy  plateau 
of  Akik  Sepi,  between  the  St.  Louis  River  and  Sandy  Lake, 
The  present  instance  of  it  is  commented  on  in  an  interesting  com- 
munication of  the  era,  in  the  appendix,  from  the  pen  of  Gov.  Cass. 
It  was  now  no  longer  doubtful  that  the  Chippewa  mission  would 
be  successful,  and  the  satisfaction  it  produced  was  evident  in 
the  countenances  and  expressions  of  Babasikundiba  and  his  col- 
leagues. 

I  took  a  canoe  and  crossed  the  Mississippi,  to  inspect  the  ge- 
ology of  the  opposite  shore.     On  reaching  the  summit  of  the 

*  The  Chippewas  affirm  that  this  was  the  last  time  the  buifalo  crossed  the  Mis- 
sissippi eastwardly.     It  did  not  appear,  in  the  same  region,  in  1821. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  149 

rock  formations  rising  througli  the  prairies,  winch  liad  attracted 
my  notice  from  the  river,  I  found  them  to  consist  of  sienite, 
which  was  almost  exclusively  made  up  of  a  trinary  compound* 
of  white  quartz,  hornblende,  and  feldspar — the  two  former 
species  predominating.  The  feldspar  exhibited  its  splendent  black 
crystals  in  fine  relief  in  the  massy  quartz.  This  formation  ex- 
tended a  mile  or  more.  What  excited  marked  attention,  in  sur- 
veying these  rocks,  was  their  smoothly  rubbed  surfaces,  which 
seemed  as  if  they  must  have  been  produced  by  equally  hard  and 
heavy  masses  of  rock,  driven  over  them  from  the  north.  I  re- 
gistered this  locality,  in  my  Geological  Journal,  as  the  Peace  Rock, 
in  allusion  to  the  purport  of  the  Indian  mission,  evidences  of 
which  were  found  at  the  opposite  encampment.* 

During  our  night's  encampment  at  this  spot  Ave  heard  the  howl- 
ing of  a  pack  of  wolves,  on  the  opposite  bank — a  sure  indication, 
hunters  say,  that  there  are  deer,  or  objects  of  prey  in  the  vicinity. 
There  are  two  species  of  wolves  on  the  plains  of  the  Mississippi — 
the  canis  lupus,  and  the  animal  called  coyote  by  the  Spanish. 
The  latter  is  smaller,  of'  a  dingy  yellow  color,  and  bears  the 
generic  name  of  prairie  wolf.  I  have  also  seen  a  black  wolf  on 
the  prairies  of  Missouri  and  Arkansas,  three  feet  nine  inches  long, 
with  coarse,  bristly,  bear-like  hair.  As  daylight  approached,  our 
ears  were  saluted  with  the  hollow  cry  of  the  strix  nictea,  a  species 
which  is  asserted  to  be  found,  sometimes,  as  far  south  as  the  Falls 
of  St.  Anthony. 

On  embarking,  at  an  early  hour,  we  found  the  humidity  of  the 
night  atmosphere  to  be  such,  that  articles  left  exposed  to  it  were 
completely  saturated.  Yet,  the  temperature  stood  at  50°  at  half- 
past  four  o'clock,  the  moment  of  our  embarkation.  On  descend- 
ing six  miles  we  passed  the  mouth  of  the  Osakis,  or  Sac  River,  a 

*  In  the  treaty  of  Indian  boundaries  of  Prairie  du  Chien,  of  1825,  this  mission 
of  the  Sioux  became  a  point  of  reference  by  the  Sioux  chiefs  Wabishaw,  Petite  Cor- 
beau,  and  Wanita,  as  denoting  the  limit  of  their  excursions  north.  The  Chippewas, 
on  the  contrary,  by  the  mouths  of  Babasekundabi,  Kadawabeda,  and  the  Broken 
Ai"m  of  Sandy  Lake,  contended  for  Sac  River  as  the  line.  I  discussed  this  subject, 
having  Indian  maps,  at  length,  -with  the  chiefs  and  Mr.  Taliaferro,  the  Sioux  agent, 
of  St.  Peter's.  An  intermediate  stream,  the  W^atab  River,  was  eventually  fixed  on, 
as  the  separating  boundary  between  these  two  warlike  tribes. — Indian  Treaties; 
Washington,  D.  C.  1837.     Vol.  i.  8vo.  p.  370. 


150  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

considerable  tributary  from  the  west,  whicli  opens  a  line  of  com- 
munication with,  the  Eed  River  valley, 

•  About  ten  o'clock  we  encountered  a  series  of  rapids  extending 
some  eight  hundred  or  a  thousand  yards,  in  the  course  of  which 
the  river  has  a  probable  aggregate  fall  of  sixteen  feet.  These 
rapids  bear  the  malappropriate  title  of  the  Big  Falls.  Following 
these,  were  a  series  called  Prairie  Rapids.  At  half-past  four  we 
passed  the  entrance  of  the  River  St.  Francis,  a  considerable  stream 
on  the  left  bank.  At  this  spot,  Hennepin  terminated  his  voyage 
in  1681,  and  Carver  in  1766.  There  is  an  island  at  the  point  of 
confluence.  At  six  o'clock  we  passed  the  entrance  on  the  west 
shore  of  the  stream  called  Cornielle,  by  the  French,  which  is  the 
true  interpretation  of  the  Sioux  name  Karishon^  and  the  Chippe- 
wa term  Andaig^  which  mean  the  crow,  and  not  the  raven.  We 
encamped  five  miles  below,  on  the  east  bank,  having  been  thir- 
teen hours  in  our  canoes,  with  a  generally  strong  current.  My 
mineralogical  gleanings,  during  the  day,  had  given  some  speci- 
mens of  the  interesting  varieties  of  the  quartz  family,  for  which 
the  geological  drift  is  noted,  and  a  single  piece  of  agatized  wood. 
The  geological  floor  on  which  the  river  runs,  has  been  indicated. 

At  five  o'clock  the  following  morning  (30th)  we  resumed  the 
descent,  and  at  the  distance  of  two  leagues  reached  the  entrance 
of  the  Missisagiegon,  or  Rum  River.  It  is  Carver,  I  believe,  who 
first  gives  us  this  name,  for  a  stream  which  the  Indians  describe 
as  a  river  flowing  from  a  lake  of  lakes — a  term,  by  the  wa}^,  which 
the  French,  with  their  usual  adherence  to  Indian  etymology,  have 
called  Mille  Lacs.  The  term  missi^  in  this  word,  does  not  signify 
great,  but  a  collected  mass,  or  all  kinds,  and  sometimes  every- 
where— the  allusion  being  to  water.  Sa-gi-e-gon  is  a  lake,  and 
when  the  prefixed  term  missi^  is  put  to  it,  nothing  could  more 
graphically  describe  the  large  body  of  water,  interspersed  with 
islands,  which  give  a  confused  aspect,  from  which  the  river  issues. 
The  Dacotas  call  this  lake  Mini  WaMn,  meaning  Spirit-water, 
which  is  probably  the  origin  of  the  name  of  Rum  River. 

About  thirteen  miles  below  Rum  River,  and  when  within  half 
a  mile  of  the  Falls,*  I  observed  calcareous  rocks  in   horizontal 

*  It  is  recently  asserted  that  tliis  change  in  the  stratification  occurs  about  a  mile 
above  the  Falls.  {Sen.  Doc.  p.  237.]  By  the  same  authority  it  is  shown  that  the 
aggregate  fall  of  the  Mississippi  from  the  mouth  of  Sandy  Lake  River  to  the  Falls 
of  St.  Anthony  is  397  feet. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  151 

beds,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river.  It  was  now  evident  wc  bad 
passed  out  of  tbe  primitive  range  of  deposits,  and  bad  entered 
tbat  of  tbe  great  sedimentary  horizontal  and  semicrystaUine  or 
Silurian  system  of  tbe  Mississippi  Valley ;  and  descending  witb  a 
strong  current,  we  came,  ratber  suddenly,  it  appeared,  to  tbe  Falls 
of  St.  Antbony,  where  tbe  river  drops,  by  a  cascade,  into  a  rock- 
bordered  valley.  Surprise  and  admiration  were  tbe  first  emotions 
on  getting  out  of  our  canoes  and  gazing  on  this  superlative 
scene;  and  we  were  not  a  little  struck  witb  tbe  idea  tbat  tbe  Sioux 
iad  named  tbe  Falls  from  manifestly  similar  impressions,  calling 
it  Eara,  from  the  Dacota  verb  irara^  to  laugh.  By  another  au- 
thority, tbe  word  is  written  Ha  Ha^  or  Dhaha^  the  letters  h  in  tbe 
vord  representing  a  strong  guttural  sound  resembling  tbe  old 
Arabic  r.*  (S.  E.  Eiggs's  Dakota  Diet,  and  Gram)  Nothing  can 
exceed  tbe  sylvan  beauty  of  the  country  which  is  here  thrown 
before  tbe  eye ;  and  we  should  not  feel  surprised  tbat  tbe  Abo- 
riginal mind  has  fallen  on  very  nearly  identical  sounds  witb  tbe 
English,  to  express  its  impressions.  A  not  very  dissimilar  prin- 
ciple has  been  observed  by  the  Chippewas,  who  have  a  uniform 
termination  of  their  names  in  ish^  which  signifies  tbe  very  same 
:][uality  which  we  express  by  ish  in  whitish,  blackish,  saltish — 
aieaning  a  lesser,  or  defective  quality  of  tbe  noun. 

Tbe  popular  name  of  these  Falls,  it  is  known,  is  due  to  Father 
Louis  Hennepin,  a  missionary  who  accompanied  La  Salle  to  tbe 
Illinois,  in  1679,  and  was  carried  captive  into  tbe  country  of  the 
Issati,  a  Dacota  tribe,  in  1680.  Lt.  Pike  states  tbe  portage  to  be 
iwo  hundred  and  sixty  poles.  By  tbe  time  we  bad  taken  a  good 
7iew  of  tbe  position,  and  made  a  few  sketches,  tbe  men  bad  com- 
oleted  carrying  over  our  baggage  and  canoes.  It  was  now  one 
D'clock,  when  we  embarked  to  proceed  to  tbe  newly-established 
military  encampment,  a  few  miles  below.  It  was  a  noticeable 
feature,  in  our  descent  of  tbe  river  above  tbe  Falls,  that  Babasi- 
kundiba  bad  always  kept  behind  the  flotilla  of  canoes ;  but  the 
moment  we  advanced  below  tbe  Falls,  be  shot  ahead  witb  his 
delegates,  each  one  being  dressed  out  in  bis  best  manner.  His 
canoe  bad  its  little  flag  displayed — tbe  Indian  drum  was  soon 
beard  sending  its  measured  thumps  and  murmurs  of  vocal  accom- 

*  Both  words  are  derived  from  the  verb  to  laugh. 


152  NAREATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION, 

paniment  over  the  water,  and  ever  and  anon  guns  were  fired. 
All  this  was  done  that  the  enemy  might  be  apprised  of  the  ap- 
proach of  the  delegation  in  the  boldest  and  most  open  manner. 
It  was  eight  or  nine  miles  to  the  post,  near  the  influx  of  the  St. 
Peter's,  and  long  before  we  reached  Col.  Leavenworth's  camp,  which 
occupied  a  high  bluff,  the  attention  of  the  Sioux  was  arrested  by 
their  advance,  and  it  was  inferable  from  the  friendly  answering 
shouts  which  they  gave,  that  the  mission  was  received  with  joy. 
Although  we  had  known  nothing  of  the  movement  which  pro- 
duced the  pictographic  letter  found  on  a  pole  at  the  Petite  Eoche, 
above  Sac  River,  it  was,  in  fact,  regarded  by  the  Dacotas  as  an 
answer  to  that  letter.  And  the  Chippewa  chief,  and  his  followersi 
were  received  with  a  salute  by  the  Sioux,  by  whom  they  were 
taken  by  the  hand,  individually,  as  they  landed. 

Col.  Leavenworth,  the  commanding  officer,  received  the  ex- 
pedition in  the  most  cordial  manner,  and  assigned  quarters  for 
the  members.  Gov.  Cass  was  received  with  a  salute  due  to  his 
rank.  We  learn  that  the  post  was  established  last  fall.  Orders 
for  this  purpose  were  issued,  as  will  be  seen  by  reference  to  the 
Preliminary  Documents^  p.  35,  early  in  the  spring.  The  troops 
destined  for  this  purpose,  were  placed  under  the  orders  of  Col. 
Leavenworth,  who  had  distinguished  himself  as  the  commander 
of  the  ninth  and  twenty-second  regiments,  in  the  war  of  1812, 
They  left  Detroit  in  the  spring  (1819),  and  proceeding  by  the  way 
of  Green  Bay  and  Prairie  du  Chien,  where  garrisons  were  left, 
they  ascended  to  the  mouth  of  the  St,  Peter's,  in  season  to  erect 
cantonments  before  winter.  The  site  chosen,  being  on  the  allu^ 
vial  grounds,  proved  unhealthy,  in  consequence  of  which  the  cani 
tonment  was  removed,  in  the  spring  of  1820,  to  an  eminence  and 
spring  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  about  a  mile  from 
the  former  position. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  153 


CHAPTEK  XIII. 

Position  of  the  military  post  established  at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Peter's — Beauty, 
salubrity,  and  fertility  of  the  country — Pictographic  letter — Indian  treaty — The 
appearance  of  the  offer  of  frankincense  in  the  burning  of  tobacco — Opwagonite — 
native  pigments — Salt ;  native  copper — The  pouched  or  prairie  rat — Minnesota 
squirrel — Etymology  of  the  Indian  name  of  St.  Peter's  River — Antiquities — 
Sketch  of  the  Dacota — Descent  of  the  Mississippi  to  Little  Crow's  village — Feast 
of  green  corn. 

In  favor  of  the  soil  and  climate,  and  of  tlie  salubrity  of  tlie 
position,  tlie  officers  speak  in  terms  of  tlie  highest  admiration. 
The  garrison  has  directed  its  attention  to  both  horticulture  and 
agriculture.  About  ninety  acres  of  the  choicest  bottom  land 
along  the  St.  Peter's  Valley,  and  the  adjacent  prairies,  have  been 
planted  with  Indian  corn  and  potatoes,  cereal  grains,  and  escu- 
lents, inclusive  of  a  hospital,  a  regimental,  and  private  gardens. 
At  the  mess-table  of  Col.  Leavenworth,  and  in  our  camp,  we  were 
presented  with  green  corn  in  the  ear,  peas,  beans,  cucumbers, 
beets,  radishes,  and  lettuce.  The  earliest  garden  peas  were  eaten 
here  on  the  15th  of  June,  and  the  first  green  corn  on  the  20th 
July.  Much  of  the  corn  is  already  too  hard  for  the  table,  and 
some  of  the  ears  can  be  selected  which  are  ripe  enough  for 
seed  corn.  Wheat,  on  the  prairie  lands,  is  found  to  be  entirely 
ripe,  and  melons  in  the  military  gardens  nearly  so.  These  are 
the  best  practical  commentaries  on  the  soil  and  climate.* 

The  distance  of  the  St.  Peter's  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  is  esti- 
mated to  be  about  two  thousand  two  hundred  miles.  Its  position 
above  St.  Louis  is  estimated  at  nine  hundred  miles.  Its  elevation 
above  the  Gulf  is  but  744  feet.     The  precise  latitude  of  this  point 

*  This  is  now  (1854)  the  central  area  of  JNIinnesota  Territory — a  territory  in  a 
rapid  process  of  the  development  of  the  population  and  resources  of  a  State. 


154  NAERATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

is  44°  52'  46"  *  The  atmosphere  is  represented  as  serene  and 
transparent  during  the  summer  and  spring  seasons,  and  free  from 
the  humidity  which  is  so  objectionable  a  trait  of  our  eastern  lati- 
tudes. The  mean  temperature  is  45°.t  Its  geology  and  mine- 
ralogy will  be  noticed  in  my  official  reports.  It  will  be  sufficient 
here  to  say  that  the  stratification,  at  and  below  St.  Anthony's 
Falls,  consists  wholly  of  formations  of  sandstones  and  limestones, 
horizontally  deposited,  whose  relative  positions  and  ages  are 
chiefly  inferable  from  the  evidences  of  organic  life,  in  the  shape 
of  petrifactions,  which  they  embrace.  The  lowest  of  this  series 
of  rocks  is  a  white  sandstone,  consisting  of  transparent,  loosely- 
cohering  grains,  special  allusion  to  which  is  made  by  Carver,  in 
his  travels  in  1766,  and  which  may  be  received  as  testimony,  were 
there  no  other,  that  this  too  much  discredited  author  had  actually 
visited  this  region. 

I  have  mentioned  the  interest  excited  by  our  Chippewas  find- 
ing the  bark  letter,  or  pictographic  memorial  at  the  deserted 
Sioux  encampment  above  Sac  Eiver.  It  turned  out,  as  we  were 
informed,  that  this  Aboriginal  missive  was  a  reply  to  a  similar 
proposition  transmitted  from  Sandy  Lake,  by  the  Chippewas. 
The  very  person,  indeed,  who  inscribed  the  Chippewa  bark  mes- 
sage, was  one  of  the  ten  persons  who  had  accompanied  us  from 
that  lake.  Gov.  Cass,  on  learning  this  fact,  requested  him  to  draw 
a  duplicate  of  it  on  a  roll  of  bark.  He  executed  this  task  im- 
mediately. We  thus  had  before  us  the  proposition  in  this  sym- 
bolic character,  which  is  called  he  ke  win  by  the  Chippewas,  and 
its  answer.  By  this  mode  of  communication  two  nations  of  the 
most  diverse  language  found  no  difficulty  in  understanding  each 
other.:}: 

On  the  second  day  after  our  arrival,  the  Indians  consummated 
their  intentions,  as  signified  by  the  bark  letter,  and  the  Sandy- 
Lake  delegation  assembled  with  the  Sioux  at  the  old  quarters  of 
the  military,  now  occupied  as  an  Indian  agency,  and  smoked  the 
pipe  of  peace.  There  were  present  at  this  pacification,  besides 
the  chiefs  Shacopee  and  Babasikundiba,  and  minor  chieftains, 
His  Excellency  Gov.  Cass,  Col.  Leavenworth,  and  sundry  officers 

*  Ex.  Doc,  No.  237.  |  Army  Register. 

X  Vide  Appendix,  for  a  letter  from  Gen.  Cass  to  the  Secretary  of  War  on  this 
curious  topic. 


NARKATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  155 

of  the  garrison  and  the  expedition.  The  ceremonies  were  con- 
ducted under  the  auspices  of  the  U.  S.  Indian  Agent,  Mr.  Ta- 
liaferro. Every  attention  was  given  to  make  these  ceremonies 
impressive,  by  a  compliance  with  the  Aboriginal  customs  on  these 
occasions,  and  it  is  hoped  not  without  leaving  permanent  eflects 
on  their  minds. 

The  pipe  employed  by  the  native  diplomatists,  in  these  negotia- 
tions, is  invested  with  a  symbolic  and  sacred  character,  as  if  the 
fumes  of  the  weed  were  offered,  in  the  nature  of  frankincense,  to 
the  Deity.  The  genuflections  with  which  it  is  presented,  more 
than  the  words  expressed,  countenance  this  idea.  The  bowl  of 
the  pipe  used  on  this  occasion  consisted  of  the  well-known  red 
pipe-stone,  called  opwagonite,*  so  long  known  in  Indian  history  as 
being  brought  from  the  Coteau  des  Prairies.  It  is  furnished  with 
a  wooden  stem  two  or  three  feet  long,  and  two  and  a  half  inches 
broad,  shaved  down  thin  so  as  to  resemble  a  spatula.  It  is  then 
painted  with  certain  blue  or  green  clays,  and  ornamented  with 
braids  of  richly  dyed  porcupine  quills,  or  the  holcus  fragrans,  and 
the  tuft  feathers  of  the  male  duck  or  red-headed  woodpecker. 
These  state  pipes  are  usually  presented  by  the  speakers  as  me- 
morials of  the  speeches,  and  laid  aside  by  the  officials  having 
charge  of  Indian  affairs.  Col.  Leavenworth  presented  us  with 
some  of  these  carefully  ornamented  diplomatic  testimonials. 

I  obtained  from  the  Sioux  some  very  carefully  moulded  pyra- 
midal-shaped pieces  of  the  blue  and  green  clays  from  the  valley 
of  the  St.  Peter's,  which  they  employ  in  painting  their  pipe-stems 
and  persons.  The  coloring  matter  of  these  appears  to  be  carbon- 
ate of  copper.  It  is  brought  from  the  Blue  Earth  Eiver.  I  also 
obtained  from  the  Indians  very  small  and  carefully  tied  leathern 
bags  of  the  red  oxide  of  iron,  which  they  obtain  in  the  state  of  a 
dry,  powdery  mass,  on  the  prairies  near  the  Big  Stone.  The 
Indians  brought  me,  from  the  same  region,  crystals  of  salt,  scraped 
up  from  the  margin  of  certain  waters  on  the  prairies,  of  a  dark 
cast,  mixed  with  impurities.  The  tendency  of  these  crystals  to 
assume  a  cubic  form  was  quite  distinct.  The  most  interesting 
development,  in  the  mineralogical  way,  consisted  of  small  lumps 
of  native  copper,  which  I  obtained  on  an  eminence  on  the  banks 

*  Schoolcraft's  View  of  the  Lead  Mines  of  Alissouri.  Scenes  and  Adventures  in 
the  Ozark  Mountains,  the  Catlinitc  of  Dr.  Jackson. 


156  NAREATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

of  the  Mississippi,  directly  opposite  the  influx  of  the  St.  Peter's. 
They  occupy,  geologically,  a  diluvial  position,  being  at  the  bottom 
of  the  prairie-drift  stratum,  and  immediately  above  the  superior 
limestone. 

In  the  luxurious  kitchen  gardens  of  Camp  Leavenworth,  great 
depredations  have  been  made  by  a  small  quadruped  of  a  burrow- 
ing character,  called  gopher.  By  patient  watching,  gun  in  hand, 
one  of  these  was  killed,  and  its  skin  preserved  and  prepared. 
The  animal  is  ten  inches  long  to  the  termination  of  the  tail,  with 
a  body  very  much  the  size  and  color  of  a  large  wharf- rat.  It  has 
five  prominent  claws,  and  two  broad  cutting  teeth,  but  its  most 
striking  peculiarity  is  a  duplicature  of  the  cheek,  which  permits 
it  to  carry  earth  to  the  mouth  of  its  burrow.  It  has  been  called 
the  pouched  rat.  Sir  Francis  Drake  found  a  similar  animal  in 
his  visit  to  the  Gulf  of  California,  in  1587,  The  distribution  of 
this  species,  of  which  this  seems  to  be  the  northern  limit,  is  very 
wide  through  Atlantic  America,  and  it  is  known  to  be  destructive 
to  vegetation  throughout  Alabama,  Georgia,  and  the  Carolinas.  I 
had,  two  years  ago,  been  led  to  notice  its  ravages  in  Missouri 
and  Arkansas.  But  the  animal  called  gopher,  in  the  southern 
country,  is  a  burrowing  tortoise,  and  the  name  is  improperly  ap- 
plied to  this  species,  which  is  the  Pseudostoma  pinetorum. 

A  peculiar  species  of  squirrel  was  observed  in  this  vicinity., 
which  is  also  found  to  be  a  destructive  visitor  to  the  military 
gardens.  In  appearance,  this  species  resembles  the  common 
striped  squirrel,  but  it  has  a  more  elongated  body,  and  shorter 
legs.  The  body  has  six  black  stripes,  with  the  same  number  of 
intervening  lines  of  spots,  on  a  reddish-brown  skin.  This  Minne- 
sota sq^uirrel  has,  since  the  return  of  the  Expedition,  been  named, 
by  the  late  Dr.  Samuel  L.  Mitchell,  sciurus  tredecetim. 

The  Eiver  St.  Peter's  is  called,  by  the  Dacotas,  Watepa  Minne- 
sota. The  prefixed  term  watepa^  is  their  word  for  river ;  minni 
is  the  name  for  water.  The  term  sola  has  been  variously  ex- 
plained. The  Canadian  French,  who  have  proved  themselves 
most  apt  translators  of  Indian  phrases,  render  it  by  the  word 
hrouille^  or  blear;  or,  if  we  regard  this  as  derivative  from  the  verb 
brouiller,  mixed,  or  mottled — a  condition  of  the  waters  of  this  river, 
whenever  the  Mississippi  is  in  flood,  and  consequently  at  a  higher 
elevation  when  it  rushes  into  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Peter's,  produc- 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION".  157 

ing  that  addled  aspect  of  the  water,  to  which  the  Dacotas,  it  is 
believed,  apply  the  term  sola. 

The  scenery  around  St.  Peter's  is  of  the  most  sylvan  and  delight- 
ful character.  About  six  miles  west  of  the  cantonment  there  are 
several  beautiful  lakes,  in  the  prairies.  The  largest  of  these  is 
about  four  miles  in  circumference,  and  is  called  Calhoun  Lake, 
in  compliment  to  the  Secretary  of  War.  Its  waters  are  stored 
with  bass  and  other  varieties  of  fish.  There  are  several  pure 
springs  of  sparkling  water,  issuing  from  the  picturesque  cliffs 
which  face  the  Mississippi  at  this  place.  I  visited  one  about  a 
mile  from  the  cantonment,  which  deposits  a  yellow  sulphurous 
flocculent  mass  along  its  course.  On  the  prairies  is  found  the  holcus 
fragrans,  which  is  braided  by  the  Indian  females,  and  employed 
in  some  instances  to  decorate  their  deer-skin  clothing.  This  aro- 
matic grass  retains  its  scent  in  the  dried  state.  Along  the  waters 
of  the  St.  Peter's  is  found  the  acer  negundo,  the  inner  bark  of 
which,  mixed  with  the  common  nettle,  is  employed  by  the  natives 
in  the  state  of  a  strong  decoction,  as  a  cure  for  the  lues  venerea. 

Mr.  Carver  having  described  certain  antiquities  near  the  foot  of 
Lake  Pepin,  in  1766,  inquiries  were  made  after  objects  of  this 
kind  in  the  vicinity.  I  was  informed  that  traces  of  such  remains 
existed  in  the  valley  of  the  St.  Peter's,  but  can  say  nothing  con- 
cerning them  from  actual  inspection.* 

Of  the  Dacotas,  or  Sioux,  for  which  St.  Peter's  forms  the  central 
point,  some  anecdotes  have  been  related  which  denote  that  they 
are,  on  certain  occasions,  actuated  by  exalted  motives.  It  is  re- 
lated that  the  chief  Little  Crow,  going  out  to  the  confines  of  the 
Chippewa  Territory,  to  examine  his  beaver-traps,  discovered  an 
individual  of  that  tribe  in  the  act  of  taking  a  beaver  from  the  trap. 
As  he  Avas  himself  unperceived,  the  tribes  being  at  war,  and  the 
offence  an  extreme  one,  a  summary  punishment  would  have  been 
justified  by  Indian  law.  But  the  Sioux  chief  decided  differently: 
"Take  no  alarm,"  said  he,  approaching  the  offender:  "I  come  to 
present  you  the  trap,  of  which  I  see  you  stand  in  need.    Take  my 

*  The  last  known  platform  mound  in  the  spread  of  the  mound-builders  north,  is 
at  Prairie  du  Chien.  The  monuments,  supposed  to  be  mounds,  in  the  St.  Peter's 
region,  are  found  by  Mr.  Owen  to  be  geological  elevations.  The  remains  on  Blue 
Earth  River  are  attributed  to  a  fort  or  inclosure  built  by  Le  Seur,  in  his  search  for 
copper  on  that  stream,  in  1700.  Other  remains,  in  the  St.  Peter's  valley,  appear  to 
be  old  trading-houses,  fallen  in. 


158  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  , 

gun,  also,  as  I  see  you  have  none  of  your  own,  and  return  to  tlie 
land  of  your  countrymen;  and  linger  not  here,  lest  some  of  my 
young  men  should  discover  your  footsteps." 

A  still  more  striking  and  characteristic  incident  is  related  of  a 
chief  called  the  Eed  Thunder.  Col.  Wm.  Dixon,  a  Scotchman  of 
family,  who  made  his  influence  felt  in  the  late  war  of  1812  as  a 
leader  of  the  Sioux  and  a  merchant  among  them,  married  the 
sister  of  this  notable  chief.  So  daring  were  the  acts  of  Red  Thun- 
der, that  he  had  put  the  Chippewa  nation  in  awe  of  him.  At 
length,  however,  after  a  long  series  of  the  bravest  acts,  he  was 
taken  prisoner,  with  a  favorite  dog,  and  condemned  to  expiate  his 
offences  at  the  stake.  It  was  a  time  of  want  by  his  captors.  One 
day  he  said  to  them:  "Why  do  you  not  feed  my  dog?"  They 
replied,  "feed  him  yourself."  "Then,"  he  said,  "give  me  a  knife." 
This  being  thrown  to  him,  he  cut  a  piece  of  flesh  from  one  of  his 
large  and  fleshy  thighs,  and  threw  it  to  the  dog.  Admiration  of 
this  act  ran  through  the  Indian  camp.  They  immediately  released 
him,  and  bestowed  on  him  the  highest  attentions  and  honors. 

The  Dacota  or  Sioux  nation  constitute  one  of  the  families  of 
America  who  speak  a  peculiar  language.  Lieut.  Pike,  who  visited 
them  in  1806,  estimated  their  numerical  strength  at  twenty-one 
thousand  six  hundred  and  seventy-live ;  of  which  number  he  com- 
puted three  thousand  eight  hundred  to  be  warriors.  They  con- 
sist of  six  or  seven  independent  tribes,  or  sub-tribes,  bearing 
different  names,  who  occupy  most  of  the  country  between  the 
Mississippi  and  Missouri,  between  N.  latitude  43°  and  46°.  The 
Mendawekantons  are  located  on  the  Mississippi,  below  the  Falls  of 
St.  Anthony  and  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Peter's.  The  Sessitons  and 
Yanktons  occupy  the  upper  waters  of  the  St.  Peter's.  The  Titous 
only  extend  west  of  the  Missouri.  The  several  tribes  regard 
themselves  as  a  confederacy,  which  is  the  signification  of  the  term 
Dacota.  They  do  not  acknowledge  the  name  of  Sioux  as  an 
Indian  word.  We  first  hear  of  them  from  the  early  French  mis- 
sionaries, who  visited  the  head  of  Lake  Superior  about  the  middle 
of  the  17th  century,  under  the  name  of  Nadowasie.^'     They  speak 

*  This  is  an  Algonquin  expression,  signifying  enemy.  It  is  derived  from  JVodoiaa, 
an  Iroqviois,  or  a  Dacota ;  the  word  was  originally  applied  to  a  serpent.  The  ter- 
mination in  sie  is  from  aivasie,  an  animal  or  creature.  This  term  is  the  root,  it  is 
appreliended,  of  the  French  sobriquet  Sioux. 


NAKRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  159 

a  language  which  prevails  over  an  immense  area,  which  is  now 
occupied  by  the  prairie  tribes  towards  the  west  and  southwest, 
from  whence,  it  is  inferred,  they  came.  They  appear,  at  a  former 
time,  to  have  reached  and  dwelt  at  the  sources  of  the  Mississippi, 
and  to  have  approached,  if  not  reached,  the  west  end  of  Lake  Su- 
perior ;  for  it  is  from  these  positions  that  the  oldest  traditions 
represent  them  to  have  been  driven  by  the  Chippewas.  Lieut. 
Pike  thinks  they  are,  undeniably,  descendants  of  Tartars,  If  so, 
I  feel  inclined  to  think  that  they  must  have  made  the  circuit  of  the 
Mexican  provinces  before  reaching  the  Mississippi  Valley,  for  the 
track  of  their  migration  is  traced  towards  the  south  certainly  as 
far  as  the  country  of  the  Kansas  and  Osages ;  while  they  preserve 
some  striking  traits  and  characteristics  which  appear  to  be  re- 
ferable to  those  intertropical  regions. 

Having  passed  the  better  part  of  three  days  in  the  vicinity  of 
St,  Peter's,  adding  to  our  collections  and  portfolios,  we  left  it  on 
the  second  of  August,  and  proceeded  down  the  river  to  the  village 
of  La  Petite  Corbeau,  or  the  Little  Eaven,  situated  on  the  east 
bank  not  far  above  the  mouth  of  the  St,  Croix.  The  river,  in  this 
distance  flows  between  lofty  cliffs  of  the  white  sandstone  and 
neutral-colored  limestones,  which  are  first  conspicuously  dis- 
played at  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony.  Springs  of  water,  not  in- 
frequently, issue  from  these  cliffs.  We  landed  at  one  of  these, 
flowing  in  through  a  gorge  at  the  distance  of  four  miles  below 
St.  Peter's,  on  the  east  bank,  for  the  purpose  of  visiting  a  re- 
markable cave,  from  the  mouth  of  which  a  small  stream  issues. 
The  cave  is  seated  wholly  within  the  beautiful  white  crumbling 
sandstone  rock.  It  is,  in  ftict,  the  loose  character  of  the  rock 
which  permits  the  superincumbent  waters  of  the  plains  above  to 
permeate  through  it,  that  has  originated  the  cave.  The  stream 
consisted  of  the  purest  filtrated  water,  which  is  daily  carrying 
away  the  loosened  grains  of  sand  into  the  Mississippi,  and  thus 
enlarging  the  boundaries  of  the  cavern.*  We  had  been  errone- 
ously informed  that  this  was  Carver's  Cave,  and  looked  in  vain 
for  this  traveller's  name  on  its  walls.f     The  atmosphere  in  this 

*  St.  Paul's,  the  present  capital  of  JNIinnesota  (1854),  is  situated  on  the  high 
grounds,  a  few  miles  below  this  cave. 

•j-  Carver's  Cave  is  four  miles  lower  down,  on  the  same  side  of  the  river,  agreeably 
to  subsequent  observation.     It  is  now  obstructed  by  fallen  rock  and  debris. 


160  NAEEATIV?  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

cave  was  found  to  be  seven  degrees  higber  than  the  water,     "We 
noticed  nothing  in  the  form  of  bones  or  antiquities. 

The  village  of  Petite  Corbeau  consists  of  twelve  large  lodges, 
which  are  said  to  give  shelter  to  two  hundred  souls.  They  plant 
corn,  and  cultivate  vines  and  pumpkins.  They  sallied  from  their 
lodges  on  seeing  us  approach,  and,  gathering  along  the  margin  of 
the  river,  fired  a,  feu  dejoie  on  our  landing.  The  chief  was  among 
the  first  to  greet  us.  He  is  a  man  below  the  common  size,  but 
brawny  and  well  proportioned,  and,  although  above  fifty  years  of 
age,  retains  the  look  and  vigor  of  forty.  He  invited  us  to  his 
lodge — a  spacious  building  about  sixty  feet  by  thirty,  sub- 
stantially constructed  of  logs  and  bark.  Being  seated,  he  ad- 
dressed himself  to  His  Excellency  Gov.  Cass.  He  said  that  he 
was  glad  to  see  him  in  his  village.  That,  in  his  extensive  jour- 
ney, he  must  have  suffered  many  hardships.  He  must  also  have 
noticed  much  of  the  Indian  mode  of  life,  and  of  the  face  of  the 
country,  which  would  enable  him  to  see  things  in  their  proper 
light.  He  was  glad  that  he  had  not,  like  others  who  had  lately 
visited  the  country,  passed  by  his  village  without  calling.  He  re- 
ferred, particularly,  to  the  military  force  sent  to  establish  a  garri- 
son at  St.  Peter's,  the  year  before,  who  had  passed  up  on  the  other 
side  of  the  river.  He  acquiesced  in  the  treaty  that  had  been  re- 
cently concluded  with  the  Chippewas.  He  referred  to  a  recent 
attack  of  a  party  of  Fox  Indians  on  their  people,  on  the  head 
waters  of  the  St.  Peter's.  He  said  it  was  dastardly,  and  that,  if 
that  little  tribe  should  continue  their  attacks,  they  would  at  length 
drive  him  into  anger,  and  compel  him  to  do  a  thing  he  did  not 
wish. 

While  this  speech  was  being  interpreted,  the  Indian  women 
were  employed  in  bringing  basketsful  of  ears  of  Indian  corn  from 
the  fields,  which  they  emptied  in  a  pile.  This  pile,  when  it  had 
reached  a  formidable  height,  was  offered  as  a  present  to  the  Ex- 
pedition. It  was,  indeed,  the  beginning  of  the  season  of  green 
corn,  with  them,  and  we  were  soon  apprised,  by  the  sound  of 
music  from  another  lodge,  that  the  festival  of  the  green-corn 
dance  was  going  forward.  Being  admitted  to  see  the  ceremonies, 
the  first  thing  which  attracted  notice  was  two  large  iron  kettles 
suspended  over  a  fire,  filled  with  green-corn  cut  from  the  cob. 
The  Indians,  both  men  and  women,  were  seated  in  a  large  circle 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  161 

around  tliein ;  they  were  engaged  in  singing  a  measured  chant 
in  the  Indian  manner,  accompanied  by  the  Sioux  cancega  or  drum 
and  rattles ;  the  utmost  solemnity  was  depicted  on  every  coun- 
tenance. "When  the  music  paused,  there  were  certain  gesticula- 
tions made,  as  if  a  mysterious  power  were  invoked.  In  the  course 
of  these  ceremonies,  a  young  man  and  his  sister,  joining  hands, 
came  forward  to  be  received  into  the  green  corn  society,  of  whom 
questions  were  asked  by  the  presiding  official.  At  the  conclusion 
of  these,  the  voice  of  each  member  was  taken  as  to  their  admission, 
which  was  unanimous.  At  the  termination  of  the  ceremonies,  an 
elderly  man  came  forward  and  ladled  out  the  contents  of  the 
kettles  into  separate  wooden  dishes  for  each  head  of  a  family 
present.  As  these  dishes  were  received,  the  persons  retired  from 
the  lodge  by  a  backward  movement,  still  keeping  their  faces  di- 
rected to  the  kettles,  till  they  had  passed  out. 


11 


162  NAKEATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 


CHAPTEE  XIV. 

Descent  of  the  river  from  the  site  of  Little  Crow's  Village  to  Prairie  du  Chien — In- 
cidents of  the  voyage,  and  notices  of  the  scenery  and  natural  history. 

The  next  morning  we  embarked  at  5  o'clock.  On  descending 
tlie  river  six  miles,  we  passed  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Croix.*  This 
stream  heads  on  high  lands,  which  form  a  rim  of  hills  around  the 
southern  and  western  shores  of  Lake  Superior,  where  it  is  con- 
nected with  the  River  Misacoda,  or  Broule  of  Fond  da  Lac.  The 
Namakagon,  its  southern  branch  of  it,  is  connected  with  the 
Maskigo,!  or  Mauvais  River  of  La  Pointe,  Lake  Superior.  Im- 
mediately above  its  point  of  entrance  into  the  Mississippi  the  St. 
Croix  expands  into  a  beautiful  lake,  which  is  some  twelve  miles 
long,  and  about  two  in  width.  The  borders  of  the  Mississippi 
about  this  point  assume  an  increased  height,  and  more  imposing 
aspect.  In  many  places,  as  the  voyager  descends  from  this  spot 
to  Lake  Pepin,  he  observes  the  calcareous  cliffs  to  terminate  in 
pyramids ;  the  crest  of  the  hills  frequently  resemble  the  crumbling 
ruins  of  antique  towers.  At  12  o'clock  we  came  to  the  vicinity 
of  an  isolated  calcareous  cliff,  called  La  Grange,  which  may  be 
regarded  as  one  of  those  monuments  resulting  from  geological 
denudation,  which  constitute  a  striking  feature  in  the  St.  Peter's 
region.  The  top  of  this  cliff  affords  a  fine  view  of  the  scenery  of 
the  Mississippi  for  a  long  distance  above  and  below  it.  It  has 
been  found  to  be  three  hundred  and  twenty-two  feet  above  the 
river.ij: 

*  This  river  was  explored  by  me  in  1832.  Vide  Schoolcraft's  Expedilion  to  Itasca 
Lake.     1  vol.    8vo.  p.  307—1834:  N.  Y.,  Harpers. 

f  In  1831,  this  river  was  ascended  by  me  with  a  public  expedition,  dispatched 
into  the  Indian  country  to  quell  the  disturbances  which  eventuated  the  next  year  in 
the  Sauk  war.  Vide  Schoolcraft's  Thirty  Years  in  the  Indian  Country.  Lippincott, 
Grambo,  &  Co.,  Philad. :   1  vol.  p.  703,  1851. 

X  Doc.  237. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  163 

Tins  spot  is  noted  as  being  near  the  site  of  Tarangamaui,  or  the 
Eed  Wing's  Village.  This  chief  is  one  of  the  notable  men  of  his 
tribe.  He  has  been  long  celebrated  as  a  man  skilled  as  a  native 
magician.  The  village  consists  of  four  large,  elongated,  and  of 
several  small  lodges.  Tarangamani  is  now  considered  the  first 
chief  of  his  nation.  He  is  noted  for  his  wisdom  and  sagacity. 
He  bears  the  marks  of  being  sixty  years  of  age.  His  grand- 
daughter married  Col.  Crawford,  a  man  of  commercial  activity 
about  Prairie  du  Chien  and  Michilimackinac,  during  the  late  war 
of  1812,  who  has  left  descendants  in  the  lake  country.  We  ob- 
served, at  this  village,  several  buffalo  skins  undergoing  the  Indian 
process  of  dressing.  The  hair  having  been  removed,  they  were 
stretched  on  the  ground,  where  they  were  subjected  to  a  process 
analogous  to  tanning  by  being  covered  with  a  decoction  of  oak 
bark. 

In  ascending  the  hill  of  La  Grange,  we  first  encountered  the 
rattlesnake,  two  of  which  we  killed.  This  is  the  highest  northern 
point  at  which  we  have  observed  this  species  on  the  Mississippi. 
I  observed  on  this  elevation  small  detached  masses  of  radiated 
quartz,  cinnamon-colored  and  white,  together  with  an  ore  of  iron 
crystallized  in  cubes.  Having  cursorily  examined  the  environs, 
the  expedition  again  embarked.  It  was  1  o'clock  when  we  entered 
Lake  Pepin.  This  admired  lake  is  a  mere  expansion  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, having  a  length  of  twenty -four  miles  by  a  varying  width 
of  from  two  to  four  miles.  During  this  distance  there  is  not  the 
least  current  during  calm  weather.  The  prospects,  in  passing 
through  this  expanse  of  water,  are  of  the  most  picturesque  kind. 
Its  immediate  shores  are  circumscribed  with  a  broad  beach  of 
gravel,  in  which  may  be  found  rolled  pieces  of  the  chalcedonies, 
agates,  and  other  species  of  the  quartz  flimily,  which  are 
characteristic  of  the  drift-stratum  of  the  upper  borders  of  the 
Mississippi.  On  the  eastern  shore,  at  a  short  distance  from  the 
margin,  there  is  a  lofty  range  of  limestone  cliffs.  On  the  west, 
the  eye  rests  on  an  elevated  formation  of  prairie,  nearly  destitute 
of  trees.  From  this  plain  several  conical  hills  ascend,  which  have 
the  appearance,  but  only  the  appearance,  of  artificial  construction. 
The  lake  is  quite  transparent,  and  yields  several  species  of  fish. 
The  most  remarkable  of  these  is  the  aciiienser  sjxUularia,  of  which 
we  obtained  a  specimen.     It  is  also  remarkable  for  its  numerous 


164  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

varieties,  and  the  large  size  of  its  fresli-water  sliells,  I  procured 
several  species  of  unio^  wliicb,  from  their  size  and  character,  at- 
tracted my  attention,  particularly  to  the  subject  of  this  branch  of 
American  conchology.  Several  of  these,  from  the  duplicates  of 
my  cabinet,  have  attracted  the  attention  of  conchologists.*  Lake 
Pepin  receives  a  river  from  the  west  called  the  Ocano,  or  more 
properly  Au  Canot ;  its  mouth  having  been,  in  former  times,  a 
noted  place  for  concealing  canoes  during  the  winter  season.f  At 
a  point,  on  the  east  shore,  about  half-way  down  the  lake,  where  a 
small  stream  enters,  we  were  informed  there  existed  the  remains 
of  an  old  French  fort,  or  factory ;  but  we  did  not  land  to  examine 
them. 

In  passing  through  this  lake  the  interpreters  pointed  to  a  high 
precipice  in  the  cliffs  on  the  east  shore,  which  Indian  tradition 
assigns  as  the  locality  of  a  tragical  love  tale,  of  which  a  Dacota 
girl  was  the  heroine.  To  avoid  the  dilemma  of  being  compelled 
to  accept  a  liusband  of  repulsive  character,  and  to  sacrifice  her 
affections  for  another  person,  she  precipitated  herself  down  this 
precipice.  The  tale  has  been  so  differently  told  to  travellers  visit- 
ing the  region,  that  nothing  but  the  simple  tradition  appears  worth 
recording.  Olaita  and  Winona,  have  been  mentioned  as  the  name 
of  the  Dacota  Sappho. 

At  6  o'clock  in  the  evening  we  encamped  on  a  gravelly  beach 
on  the  east  shore  of  the  lake,  the  weather  threatening  a  storm. 
Eain  commenced  at  8  o'clock,  and  continued  at  intervals,  with 
severe  thunder  and  most  vivid  flashes  of  lightning  during  the 
night.  At  5  o'clock  the  next  morning  (4th),  the  expedition  was 
again  in  motion.  The  rain  had  ceased,  but  the  morning  remained 
cloudy.  The  scenery  on  the  borders  of  the  lake  continued  to  be 
impressive.  The  precipices  on  the  east  shore  shot  up  into  spiral 
points ;  yet  the  orbicular  elevations  are  covered  with  grass  and 
shrubber}^  These  high  grass-crowned  elevations,  without  forest, 
terminate  near  the  influx  of  the  Chippewa  River  in  a  remarkable 
isolated  elevation,  called  Mont  La  Garde^  from  the  fact  that  it  is, 

*  Sillimans  Journal  of  Science,  1823  ;  also,  Trans.  Am.  Phil.  Soc. 

I  Travellers  ttIio  are  disposed  to  regard  La  Hontan's  fiction  of  his  purported  dis- 
coveries on  Rivier  la  Longue,  as  entitled  to  notice,  have  suggested  this  river  as  the 
locality  intended.  Nicollet,  otherwise  reliable,  has  gone  so  far  as  to  call  it  La  Hon- 
tan  River. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION,  165 

and  long  has  been,  a  noted  look-out  station  for  Chippewa  war 
parties,  who  descend  this  stream,  against  the  Sioux.  It  commands 
an  extensive  view  of  Lake  Pepin.  This  lake  was  thought  to  be 
two  miles  wide  opposite  our  last  night's  encampment ;  it  narrows 
to  probably  less  than  half  a  mile  at  its  mouth.  The  west  shore 
along  this  portion  of  the  lake  consists  of  singularly  striking,  pic- 
turesque, level,  and  elevated  prairie  lands. 

Carver,  in  1768,  places  his  remains  of  ancient  circumvallations 
in  this  vicinity,  but  "some  miles  below  Lake  Pepin."'"  This  Avas 
a  period  when  no  attention  had  been  directed  to  the  subject  of 
antiquities  in  the  L^nited  States,  and  his  mind  appears  to  have 
been  impressed  strongly  by  what  he  saw.  As  opportunities  did 
not  allow  me  to  land,  nor  was  the  precise  spot,  indeed,  known  to 
any  of  our  guides  or  men,  reference  can  only  be  made  to  the  ob- 
servations of  a  man  w^ho  is  known  to  have  been  the  first  Ameri- 
can traveller  that  has  called  attention  to  our  western  antiquities. 
Mr.  H.  Y.  Hart,  long  a  resident  of  this  region,  verball}^  assures 
me  that  he  has  visited  these  works.f 

Chippewa  Eiver,  just  referred  to,  comes  into  the  Mississippi  on 
its  left  bank,  within  half  a  mile  of  the  foot  of  Lake  Pepin.  It  is 
a  tributary  of  prime  volume,  draining  the  Chippewa  territories 
lying  around  the  south  and  west  shores  of  Lake  Superior.  Origi- 
nating on  the  sandy  tracts  extending  over  the  elevated  central 
plains  of  the  Wisconsin,  it  brings  a  large  deposit  of  sand  into  the 
Mississippi,  the  navigation  of  which  is  visibly  more  embarrassed 
below  this  point  Avith  sand-bars,  willovv^,  and  cotton-wood  islands. 

At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  reached  and  landed  at 
"Wabashaw's  village.  It  is  eligibly  seated  on  the  west  shore, 
and  consists  of  four  of  the  large  elongated  Sioux  lodges  before 
mentioned,  containing  a  population  of  about  sixty  souls.  The 
usual  intercourse  and  speeches  of  congratulation  by  the  Indians, 
and  acknowledgment  of  the  American  authorities  were  made,  and 
we  again  embarked,  after  a  detention  of  forty  minutes.  A  few 
miles  below  Wabashaw's  village,  we  came  to  a  high  rocky  or 
mountain  island,  called  La  moniaigne  qui  trompe  dans  Veau,  a  term 
which  is  shortened  by  western  phraseology  into  Trompledo  mount- 

*  Carver's  Travels,  p.  30. 

f  Mr.  G.  W.  Featherstonehaugli,  in  Lis  Gcolorjkal  Rcconnoissance,  in  18:34,  landed 
at  the  location  of  these  antiquarian  remains,  and  is  disposed  to  recognize  their  au- 
thenticity. 


166  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION". 

ain.  This  is  a  very  remarkable  feature  in  the  geography  of  the 
Upper  Mississippi,  The  rock  is  calcareous ;  it  is,  in  fact,  the  only 
fast  or  rocky  island  we  have  encountered  below  the  little  islet  at 
the  head  of  the  Packagama  Falls.  It  is  not  only  striking  from  its 
lofty  elevation,  but  is  several  miles  in  circumference ;  standing  in 
the  bed  of  the  river  and  parting  its  channel  into  two,  it  appears 
to  be  the  first  bold  geological  monument  which  has  effectually 
resisted  its  course. 

We  had  passed  this  island  but  a  short  distance,  and  the  ap- 
proaches of  evening  began  to  be  manifest,  when  a  large  gray  wolf 
sprang  into  the  river  to  cross  it.  The  greatest  animation  at  once 
arose  in  our  flotilla ;  the  canoemen  bending  themselves  to  their 
paddles,  the  auxiliary  Indians  of  our  party  shouting,  and  the 
whole  party  assuming  an  unwonted  excitement.  A  shot  was  soon 
fired  from  one  of  our  rifles,  but  either  the  distance  was  too  great, 
or  the  aim  incorrect.  The  wolf  was  fully  apprised  of  his  peril, 
put  forth  all  his  strength,  outstripped  his  pursuers,  reached  the 
shore,  and  nimbly  leaped  into  the  woods. 

We  encamped  on  the  west  shore,  a  few  miles  below  the  island 
at  seven  o'clock,  having  been  twelve  hours  in  our  canoes.  The 
confinement  of  the  position  nobody  can  appreciate  who  has  not 
tried  it,  and  I  hastened  to  stretch  my  legs,  by  ascending  the  river 
cliffs  in  our  rear,  to  have  a  glimpse  of  its  geology  and  scenery. 
The  view  westwardly  was  one  of  groves  and  prairies  of  most 
inviting  agricultural  promise.  In  front,  the  island  mountain  rises 
to  an  elevation  which  appears  to  have  been  the  original  geologi- 
cal level  of  the  stratification  before  the  Mississippi  cut  its  way 
through  it. 

At  the  rapids  of  Black  Eiver,  which  enters  opposite  our  en- 
campment, a  saw-mill,  we  were  informed,  had  been  erected  by  an 
inhabitant  of  Prairie  du  Chien.  Thus  the  empire  of  the  arts 
has  begun  to  make  its  way  into  these  regions,  and  proclaims  the 
advance  of  a  heavy  civilization  into  a  valley  which  has  heretofore 
only  resounded  to  the  savage  war-whoop.  Or,  if  a  higher  grade 
of  society  and  arts  has  ever  before  existed  in  it,  as  some  of  our 
tumuli  and  antiquities  would  lead  us  to  infer,  the  light  of  history 
has  failed  to  reach  us  on  the  subject.* 

*  American  Antiquities.  As  the  tumuli  and  earthworks  of  the  Mississippi  Valley 
are  more  closely  scrutinized,   they  do  not  appear  to  denote  a  higher  degree  of 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  167 

At  tlie  spot  of  our  encampment,  as  soon  as  the  shades  of  niglit 
closed  in,  we  were  visited  by  hordes  of  ephemera.  The  candles 
lighted  in  our  tents  became  the  points  of  attraction  for  these 
evanescent  creations.  They  soon,  however,  began  to  feel  the  in- 
fluence of  the  sinking  of  the  thermometer,  and  the  air  was  im- 
perceptibly cleared  of  them  in  an  hour  or  two.  By  the  hour  of 
three  o'clock  the  next  morning  (5th)  the  expedition  was  again  in 
motion  descending  the  river.  It  halted  for  breakfast  at  Painted 
Rock,  on  the  west  shore.  While  this  matter  was  being  accom- 
plished, I  found  an  abundant  locality  of  unios  in  a  curve  of 
the  shore  which  produced  an  eddy.  Fine  specimens  of  U.  pur- 
pureus,  elongatus,  and  orbiculatus  were  obtained.  AVith  the 
increased  spirit  and  animation  which  the  whole  party  felt  on  the 
prospect  of  our  arrival  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  we  proceeded  unre- 
mittingly on  our  descent,  and  reached  that  place  at  six  o'clock  in 
the  evening. 

Prairie  du  Chien  does  not  derive  its  name  from  the  dog,  but 
from  a  noted  family  of  Fox  Indians  bearing  this  name,  who  an- 
ciently dwelt  here.  The  old  town  is  said  to  have  been  about  a 
mile  below  the  present  settlement,  which  was  commenced  by  Mr. 
Dubuque  and  his  associates,  in  1783.  The  prairie  is  most  eligibly 
situated  along  the  margin  of  the  stream,  above  whose  floods  it  is 
elevated.  It  consists  of  a  heavy  stratum  of  diluvial  pebbles  and 
boulders,  which  is  picturesquely  bounded  by  lofty  cliffs  of  the 
Silurian*  limestones,  and  their  accompanying  column  of  stratifica- 
tion. The  village  has  the  old  and  shabby  look  of  all  the  antique 
French  towns  on  the  Mississippi,  and  in  the  great  lake  basins ;  the 

civilization  than  may  be  assigned  to  the  ancestors  of  the  present  races  of  Indians, 
prior  to  the  epoch  of  the  introduction  of  European  arts  into  America.  Certainly 
there  is  nothing  in  our  earthworks  and  mounds,  to  compare  with  the  Toltec  and 
Aztec  type  of  arts  at  the  opening  of  the  IGth  century  ;  while  the  possession  by  our 
tribes  of  the  zea  maize,  a  tropical  plant,  and  other  facts  indicative  of  a  southern 
migration,  appear  to  denote  a  residence  in  warmer  latitudes.  The  distribution  of 
the  Mexican  teocalli  and  pyramid  is  also  plainly  traceable  from  the  south.  Neither 
the  platform  nor  the  solid  conical  mound  has  been  traced  higher  north  than  Prairie 
du  Chien ;  nor  have  the  earthworks  (adopting  Carver's  notices)  reached  higher 
than  Lake  Pepin.  There  are  no  mounds  or  earthworks  at  the  sources  of  tiie  Mis- 
sissippi nor  in  all  British  America  to  the  shores  of  the  Arctic  Seas.  We  cannot  bring 
arts  or  civilization  from  that  quarter. 

*  This  term,  unknown  to  geology  at  the  period,  has  been  subsequently  intro- 
duced by  Sir  Roderic  Murchisou. 


168  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

dwellings  being  constructed  of  logs  and  barks,  and  tlie  court- 
yards picketed  in,  as  if  they  were  intended  for  defence.  It  is 
called  Kipisagee  by  the  Cliippewas  and  Algonquin  tribes  gene- 
rally, meaning  the  place  of  the  jet  or  outflow  of  the  (Wisconsin) 
River.  It  is,  in  popular  parlance,  estimated  to  be  300  miles  below 
St.  Peter's,  and  600  above  St.  Louis.*  Its  latitude  is  43°  3'  6". 
It  is  the  seat  of  justice  for  Crawford  County,  having  been  so  named 
in  honor  of  W.  H.  Crawford,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  of  the 
XJ.  S.  It  is,  together  with  all  the  region  west  of  Lake  Michigan, 
attached  to  the  territory  of  Michigan.  There  is  a  large  and  fertile 
island  in  the  Mississippi,  opposite  the  place. 

We  found  the  garrison  to  consist  of  a  single  company  of 
infantry,  under  the  command  of  Capt.  J.  Fowle,  Jun.,f  who  re- 
ceived us  courteously,  and  offered  the  salute  due  to  the  rank  of 
His  Excellency,  Gov.  Cass.  The  fort  is  a  square  stockade,  with 
bastions  at  two  angles.  There  was  found  on  this  part  of  the 
prairie,  when  it  came  to  be  occupied  with  a  garrison  by  the  Amer- 
icans, in  1819,  an  ancient  platform-mound,  in  an  exactly  square 
form,  the  shape  and  outlines  of  which  were  preserved  with  exact- 
itude by  the  prairie  sod.  This  earthwork,  the  probable  evidence 
of  a  condition  of  ancient  society,  arts,  and  events  of  a  race  who 
are  now  reduced  so  low,  was,  with  good  taste,  preserved  by  the 
military,  when  they  erected  this  stockade.  One  of  the  officers 
built  a  dwelling-house  upon  it,  thus  converting  it,  to  the  use,  and 
probably  the  only  use,  to  which  it  was  originally  devoted.  No 
measurements  have  been  preserved  of  its  original  condition  ;  but 
judging  from  present  appearances,  it  must  have  squared  seventy- 
five  feet,  and  have  had  an  elevation  of  eight  feet. 

*  These  distances  are  reduced  by  Ex.  Doc.  237,  respectively  to  2G0  and  542  miles. 

f  This  ofiBcer  entered  the  army  in  1812,  serving  with  reputation.  He  rose, 
through  various  grades  of  the  service,  to  the  rank  of  Lieut.  Col.  of  the  6th  infanti-y. 
He  lost  his  life  on  the  25th  April,  1838,  by  the  explosion  of  the  steamer  Moselle, 
on  the  Ohio  River. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  169 


CHAPTER    XV. 

Mr.  Schoolcraft  makes  a  visit  to  the  lead  mines  of  Dubuque — Incidents  of  the  trip 
— Description  of  the  mines — The  title  of  occupancy,  and  the  mode  of  the  mines 
being  worked  by  the  Fox  tribe  of  Indians — Who  are  the  Foxes  ? 

I  SOLICITED  permission  of  Gov.  Cass  to  visit  tlie  lead  miues  of 
Dubuque,  wliich  are  situated  on  tlie  west  bank  of  the  Mississippi, 
at  tlie  computed  distance  of  twenty-five  leagues  below  Prairie  du 
Chien.  Furnished  with  a  light  canoe,  manned  by  eight  voya- 
geurs,  including  a  guide,  I  left  the  prairie  at  half-past  eleven 
A.  M.  (6th).  Passed  the  entrance  of  the  Wisconsin,  on  the  left 
bank,  at  the  distance  of  a  league.'^  Opposite  this  point  is  the 
high  elevation  which  Pike,  in  1806,  recommended  to  be  occupied 
w^ith  a  military  Avork.  The  suggestion  has  not,  however,  been 
adopted;  military  men,  probably,  thinking  that,  however  eligible 
the  site  might  be  for  a  work  where  civilized  nations  were  likely 
to  come  into  contact,  a  simpler  style  of  defensive  works  would 
serve  the  purpose  of  keeping  the  Indian  tribes  in  check.  I  pro- 
ceeded nine  leagues  below,  and  encamped  at  the  site  of  a  Fox 
village,t  located  on  the  east  bank,  a  mile  below  the  entrance  of 
Turkey  River  from  the  west.  The  village,  consisting  of  twelve 
lodges,  was  now  temporarily  deserted,  the  Indians  being  probably 
absent  on  a  hunt ;  but,  if  so,  it  was  remarkable  that  not  a  soul  or 
living  thing  was  left  behind,  not  even  a  dog.  My  guide,  indeed, 
informed  me  that  the  cause  of  the  desertion  was  the  fears  enter- 
tained of  an  attack  from  the  Sioux,  in  retaliation  for  the  massacre 
lately  perpetrated  by  them  on  the  heads  of  the  St.  Peter's,  which 
was  alluded  to  in  the  speech  of  the  Little  Crow,  while  we  were  at 
his  village  {ante,  p.  160). 

*  It  was  at  this  spot,  one  hundred  and  thirty-seven  years  ago,  that  Marquette 
and  M.  Joliet,  coming  from  the  lakes,  discovered  the  Mississippi. 

f  Now  the  site  of  Cassville,  Grant  County,  AVisconsin.  It  is  a  post  town,  plea- 
santly situated,  with  a  population  of  200. 


170  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITIOX. 

It  was  seven  o'clock  P.  M.  when  I  landed  here,  and  having 
some  hours  of  daylight,  I  walked  back  from  the  river  to  look  at 
the  village,  and  its  fields,  and  to  examine  the  geological  struc- 
ture of  the  adjacent  cliffs.  In  their  gardens  I  observed  squashes, 
beans,  and  pumpkins,  but  the  fields  of  corn,  the  principal  article 
of  cultivation,  had  been  nearly  all  destroyed,  probably  by  wild 
animals.  I  found  an  extensive  field  of  water  and  musk  melons, 
situated  in  an  opening  in  a  grove,  detached  from  the  other  fields 
and  gardens.  None  of  the  fruit  was  perfectly  ripe,  although  it 
had  been  found  so  at  Prairie  du  Chien;  some  of  it  had  been  bitten 
by  wild  animals.*  The  cliffs  consisted  of  the  same  horizontal 
strata  of  sandstones  and  neutral  colored  limestone,  prevailing  at 
higher  positions  in  this  valley.  Returning  to  the  river  beach,  I 
])erceived  the  same  pebble  drift  which  characterizes  higher  lati- 
tudes. This  seems  the  only  difference  in  its  structure  or  form, 
namely,  that  the  pieces  of  quartz  pebble,  limestone,  and  other 
fragments  brought  down,  become  smaller  and  smaller,  as  they  are 
carried  down. 

There  were  frequent  thunders,  and  a  rain-storm,  during  the 
night,  which,  with  a  slight  intermission,  characterized  the  morn- 
ing until  noon.  I  embarked  at  half-past  three  A.  M.  (7th),  and 
landed  at  the  Fox  village  of  the  Kettle  chief,  at  the  site  of 
Dubuque's  house, f  at  ten  o'clock ;  a  moderate  rain  having  con- 
tinued all  the  way.     It  ceased  an  hour  after  my  arrival. 

*  Fondness  for  melons,  and  annual  vine  fruits  of  tlie  garden,  is  a  striking  trait 
of  the  Indians.  Some  curious  facts  on  this  head  are  published  in  the  statistics. — 
Indian  Information,  vol.  iii.  p.  624,  1853,  Philadelphia,  Lippincott  &  Co. 

f  This  is  now  (1854)  the  site  of  the  city  of  Dubuque,  State  of  Iowa,  which  is 
reputed  to  be  the  oldest  settlement  in  that  State.  This  city  is  eligibly  situated  on 
a  broad  plateau,  between  limestone  cliifs.  The  soil  rests  on  a  rock  foundation, 
which  renders  it  incapable  of  being  undermined  by  the  Mississippi.  Its  streets 
are  broad  and  laid  out  at  right  angles.  It  has  several  Protestant  churches,  a 
Catholic  cathedral,  a  public  land  oiBce,  two  banks,  four  printing  offices,  and  by  the 
last  census  contains  a  population  of  7,500,  the  county  of  which  it  is  the  seat  of  jus- 
tice, has  10,840.  Two  railroads  have  their  terminal  points  at  this  place.  At  the 
time  of  my  visit,  in  1820,  the  house  which  had  been  built  by  Mr.  Dubuque,  had 
been  burnt  down ;  and  there  was  not  a  dwelling  superior  to  the  Indian  wigwam 
within  the  present  limits  of  Iowa.  The  State  of  Iowa  was  admitted  into  the  Union 
in  1837.  By  the  7th  U.  S.  census,  the  population  of  this  State,  in  1850,  is  shown 
to  be  192,214.  The  number  of  square  miles  is  50,914.  No  Western  State  is  be- 
.lieved  to  contain  a  less  proportionate  quantity  of  land  unsuited  to  the  plough,  and 
its  population  and  resources  must  have  a  rapid  development. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITIOX.  171 

The  Kettle  chief's  village  is  situated  fifteen  miles  below  the 
entrance  of  the  Little  Makokety  Eiver,  consisting  of  nineteen 
lodges,  built  in  two  rows,  pretty  compact,  and  having  a  popula- 
tion of  two  hundred  and  fifty-souls.  There  is  a  large  island  in 
the  Mississippi,  directly  opposite  this  village,  which  is  occupied 
by  traders.  I  first  landed  there  to  get  an  interpreter  of  the  Fox 
language,  and  obtain  some  necessary  information  respecting  the 
location  of  the  mines,  and  the  best  means  of  accomplishing  my 
object.  Meantime  the  rain  had  ceased.  I  then  proceeded  across 
the  Mississippi  to  the  Kettle  chief's  lodge,  to  solicit  his  permission 
to  visit  the  mines,  and  obtain  Indian  guides.  I  succeeded  in  getting 
Mr.  Gates,  as  interpreter ;  and  was  accompanied  by  Dr.  S.  Muir,  a 
trader,  who  politely  offered  to  go  with  me.  On  entering  the  lodge 
of  Aquoqua,  the  chief,  I  found  him  suffering  under  a  severe  attack 
of  bilious  fever.  As  I  approached  him,  he  sat  upon  his  pallet, 
being  unable  to  stand,  and  bid  me  welcome;  but  soon  became 
exhausted  by  the  labor  of  conversation,  and  was  obliged  to  re- 
sume his  former  position.  He  appeared  to  be  a  man  of  eighty 
years  of  age,  had  a  venerable  look,  but  was  reduced  to  the  last 
stage  of  physical  debility.  Yet  he  retained  his  faculties  of  sight 
and  hearing  unimpaired,  together  with  his  mental  powers.  He 
spoke  to  me  of  his  death  with  calm  resignation,  as  a  thing  to  be 
desired.  On  stating  the  object  of  my  visit,  some  objections  were 
made  by  the  chiefs  who  surrounded  him,  and  they  required  fur- 
ther time  to  consider  the  proposition.  In  the  mean  time,  I  learned 
from  another  source,  that  since  the  death  of  Dubuque,  to  whom 
the  Indians  had  formerly  granted  the  privilege  of  working  the 
mines,  they  had  manifested  great  jealousy  of  the  whites,  were 
afraid  they  would  encroach  on  their  rights,  denied  all  former 
grants,  and  did  not  make  it  a  practice  even  to  allow  strangers  to 
view  their  diggings.  Apprehending  some  difficulties  of  this 
kind,  I  had  provided  myself  with  some  presents,  and  concluding 
this  to  be  the  time,  because  of  the  reluctance  manifested,  directed 
one  of  my  voyageurs  to  bring  in  a  present  of  tobacco  and  whis- 
key; and  in  a  few  moments  T  received  their  assent,  and  two  guides 
were  furnished.  One  of  these  was  a  minor  chief,  called  Scabass, 
or  the  Yelling  Wolf;  the  other,  Wa-ba-say-ah,  or  the  White  Fox- 
skin.  They  led  me  up  the  cliff,  where  I  understood  the  Indian 
woman,  Peosta,  first  found  lead  ore ;  after  reaching  the  level  of 


172  NAKRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

the  river  bluffs,  we  pursued  a  path  over  undulating  hills,  exhibit- 
ing a  half  prairie,  and  quite  picturesque  rural  aspect.  On  reach- 
ing the  diggings,  the  most  striking  part  of  them,  but  not  all  of 
them,  exhibited  excavations  such  as  the  Indians  only  do  not  seem 
persevering  enough  in  labor  to  have  made. 

The  district  of  country  called  Dubuque's  Mines,  embraces  an 
area  of  about  twenty-one  square  leagues,  commencing  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Little  Maquaquity  River,  sixty  miles  below  Prairie 
du  Chien,  and  extending  along  the  west  bank  of  the  Mississippi 
Eiver,  seven  leagues  in  front  by  three  in  depth.  The  principal 
mines  are  situated  on  a  tract  of  one  square  league,  beginning  im- 
mediately at  the  Fox  village  of  Aquoqua,  or  the  Kettle  chief, 
and  extending  westwardly.  This  is  the  seat  of  the  mining  opera- 
tions carried  on  by  Dubuque,  as  well  as  of  what  are  called  the 
Indian  Diggings, 

Geologically  it  is  the  same  formation  that  characterizes  the 
mines  of  Missouri;  but  there  are  some  peculiarities.  The  ore 
found  is  the  common  sulphuret  of  lead,  with  a  broad  foliated, 
or  lamellated  structure,  and  high  metallic  lustre.  It  occurs 
massive  and  disseminated,  in  a  red  loam,  resting  on  a  hori- 
zontal limestone  rock.  Sometimes  small  veins  of  the  ore  are 
seen  in  the  rock,  but  it  has  been  generally  explored  in  the  soil. 
It  generally  occurs  in  narrow  beds,  which  have  a  fixed  direction; 
these  beds  extend  three  or  four  hundred  feet,  when  they  cease, 
or  are  traced  into  crevices  in  the  rock.  At  this  stage,  the  pur- 
suit of  ore,  at  most  of  the  diggings,  has  been  abandoned,  fre- 
quently with  small  veins  of  the  metal  in  view.  No  matrix,  so 
far  as  I  observed,  is  found  with  the  ore  which  is  dug  out  of  the 
goil,  unless  we  may  consider  such  an  ochery  oxide  of  iron,  with 
which  it  is  slightly  incrusted.  Occasionally,  pieces  of  calcareous 
spar  are  thrown  out  with  the  earth  in  digging  after  ore.  I  picked 
up  from  one  of  these  heaps  of  earth  a  specimen  of  transparent  crys- 
tallized sulphate  of  barytes ;  but  this  mineral  appears  to  be  rare. 
There  appears  to  be  none  of  the  radiated  quartz,  or  white  opaque 
heavy  spar,  which  are  so  abundantly  found  at  the  Missouri 
mines.* 

The  ore  at  these  mines  is  now  exclusively  dug  by  the  Indian 

*    Vide  my  View  of  the  Lead  Mines  of  Missouri,  &.C.,  New  York,  1819. 


NArvRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITIOX.  173 

women.  Old  and  superannuated  men  also  partake  in  tlie  mining- 
labor,  but  the  warriors  and  men  hold  themselves  above  it.  In 
this  labor,  the  persons  who  engage  in  it  employ  the  hoe,  shovel? 
pick-axe,  and  crow-bar.  These  implements  are  supplied  by  the 
traders  at  the  island,  who  are  the  purchasers  of  the  crude  ore. 
With  these  implements  they  dig  trenches,  till  they  are  arrested 
by  the  solid  rock.  There  are  no  shafts,  even  of  the  simplest  kind, 
and  the  windlass  and  bucket  are  unknown  to  them — far  more  so 
the  use  of  gunpowder  in  the  mining  operations.  Their  mode  of 
going  down  into  the  deepest  pits,  and  coming  up  from  them,  is 
by  digging  an  inclined  way,  which  permits  the  women  to  keep 
an  erect  position  in  walking.*  I  descended  into  one  of  these 
inclined  excavations,  which  had  probably  been  carried  down 
forty  feet,  at  the  perpendicular  angle. 

When  a  quantity  of  ore  has  been  got  out,  it  is  carried  in 
baskets  to  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  by  the  females,  who  are 
ferried  over  to  the  island.  They  receive  at  the  rate  of  two  dol- 
lars for  a  hundred  and  twenty  pounds,  payable  in  goods.  At  the 
profit  at  which  these  are  usually  sold,  it  may  be  presumed  to 
cost  the  traders  at  the  rate  of  seventy-five  cents  or  a  dollar,  cash 
value,  per  hundred  weight.  The  traders  smelt  the  ore  on  the 
island,  in  furnaces  of  the  same  construction  which  I  have  de- 
scribed, and  given  plates  of,  in  my  treatise  on  the  mines.f  They 
observe  that  it  yields  the  same  per  centum  of  metallic  lead. 
Formerly,  the  Indians  were  in  the  habit  of  smelting  the  ore 
themselves  on  log  heaps,  by  which  an  unusual  proportion  of  it 
was  converted  into  lead-ashes  and  lost.  They  are  now  induced 
to  search  about  the  sites  of  these  old  fires  to  collect  these  lead- 
ashes,  which  consist,  for  the  most  part,  of  desulphuretted  ore,  for 
which  they  receive  a  dollar  per  bushel.  ' 

There  are  three  mines  in  addition  to  those  above  mentioned, 
situated  upon  the  Upper  Mississippi,  which  are  worked  by  the 
Indians.  They  are  located  at  Sinsinaway,  at  Eiviere  au  Fevre, 
and  at  the  Little  Makokety.  1.  Sinsinaway  mines.  They  are 
situated  fifteen  miles  below  Aquoqua's  Yillage,  on  the  east  shore 
of  the  Mississippi,  at  the  junction  of  the  Sinsinaway  Kiver.     2. 

*  This  is  believed  to  be  an  oriental  mode  of  excavation,  which  appears  to  have 
been  practised  in  digging  wells, 
t  New  York,  1819. 


174  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION, 

Mine  au  Fevre.  Situated  on  the  River  au  Fevre,  wliicli  enters 
the  Mississippi  on  its  east  banks,  twenty-one  miles  below  Du- 
buque's mines.  The  lead  ore  is  found  ten  miles  from  its  mouth. 
/  At  this  locality,  the  ore  is  accompanied  by  the  sulphate  of  bary- 
tes,  and  is  sometimes  crystallized  in  cubes  or  octohedrons.*  3. 
Mine  of  the  Makokety,  or  ^Maquoqueti.  This  small  river  enters 
the  Mississippi  fifteen  miles  above  Dubuque's  mines.  The  mine- 
ral character  and  value  of  the  country  has  been  but  little  explored. 
The  history  of  the  mines  of  Dubuque  is  brief  and  simple.  In 
1780,  a  discovery  of  lead  ore  was  made  by  the  wife  of  Peosta,  a 
Fox  Indian  of  Aquoqua's  Village.  This  gave  the  hint  for  ex- 
plorations, which  resulted  in  extensive  discoveries.  The  lands 
were  formally  granted  by  the  Indians  to  Julien  Dubuque,  at  a 
council  held  at  Prairie  du  Chien  in  1788,  by  virtue  of  which  he 
permanently  settled  on  them,  erected  buildings  and  furnaces,  and 
continued  to  work  them  until  1810.  In  1796,  he  received  a  con- 
firmation of  his  grant  from  Carondelet,  the  governor  of  Louisiana, 
in  which  they  are  called  "the  mines  of  Spain."  By  a  stone  monu- 
ment which  stands  on  a  hill  near  the  mines,  Dubuque  died  on  the 
24:th  March,  1810,  aged  forty-five  years  and  six  months.  After  his 
death,  the  Indians  burnt  down  his  house  and  fences — he  leaving, 
I  believe,  no  family f — and  erased  every  vestige  of  civilized  life ; 
and  they  have  since  revoked,  or  at  least  denied  the  grant,  and 
appear  to  set  a  very  high  value  on  the  mines.  Dubuque's  claim 
was  assigned  to  his  creditors,  by  whom  it  was  presented  to  the 
commissioners  for  deciding  on  land  titles,  in  1806.  By  a  majority 
of  the  board  it  was  determined  to  be  valid,  in  which  condition  it 
was  reported  to  Washington  for  final  action.     At  this  stage  of 

*  The  city  of  Galena  has  subsequently  been  built  on  this  river,  at  the  distance 
of  six  miles  from  the  Mississippi.  The  river  is,  indeed,  thus  far,  an  arm  of  the 
Mississippi,  Avhich  permits  steamboats  freely  to  enter,  converting  the  place  into  a 
commercial  depot  for  a  vast  surrounding  country.  Not  less  than  40,000,000  pounds 
of  lead  were  shipped  from  this  place  in  1852,  valued  at  one  million  six  hundred 
thousand  dollars.  It  is  the  terminus  of  the  Chicago  and  Galena  Railroad,  connect- 
ing it  by  a  line  of  180  miles  with  the  lakes.  It  contains  a  bank,  three  newspaper 
offices,  and  several  churches  of  various  denominations,  and  has,  by  the  census  of 
1850,  a  population  of  6,004. 

\  There  is  believed  to  be  no  instance,  in  America,  where  the  Indians  have  disan- 
nulled grants  or  privileges  to  persons  settling  among  them,  and  leaving  families 
founded  on  the  Indian  element. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  175 

tlie  investigation,  Mr.  Gallatin,  who  was  then  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury,  made  a  report  on  the  subject,  clearly  stating  the  facts, 
and  coming  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  not  a  perfect  title, 
stating  that  no  patent  had  ever  been  issued  for  it,  at  New  Orleans, 
the  seat  of  the  Spanish  authority,  from  which  transcripts  of  the 
records  of  all  grants  had  been  transmitted  to  the  Treasury.* 

On  the  arrival  of  Lieut.  Pike  at  Mr.  Dubuque's  on  the  1st  of 
September,  1805,  he  endeavored  to  obtain  information  necessary 
to  judge  of  the  value  and  extent  and  the  nature  of  the  grant  of 
the  mines ;  but  he  was  not  able  to  visit  them.  To  the  inquiries 
which  he  addressed  to  Mr.  Dubuque  on  the  subject,  the  latter 
replied  in  writing  that  a  copy  of  the  grant  was  filed  at  the  proper 
office  in  St.  Louis,  which  would  show  its  date,  together  with  the 
date  of  its  confirmation  by  the  Spanish  authority,  and  the  extent 
of  the  grant  to  him.  He  states  the  mine  to  be  twenty-seven  or 
twenty-eight  leagues  long,  and  from  one  to  three  leagues  broad. 
He  represents  the  per  centum  of  metal  to  be  yielded  from  the 
ore  to  be  seventy-five,  and  the  quantity  smelted  per  annum  at 
from  20,000  to  40,000  pounds.  He  stated  that  the  whole  product 
was  cast  into  pig  lead,  and  that  there  were  no  other  metals  at  the 
mines  but  copper,  of  the  value  of  which  he  could  not  judge. 

Having  examined  the  mines  with  as  much  minuteness  as  the 
time  allowed  me  would  permit,  and  obtained  specimens  of  its 
ores  and  minerals,  I  returned  to  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi, 
before  the  daylight  departed,  and,  immediately  embarking,  went 
up  the  river  two  leagues  and  encamped  on  an  island. 

It  may  be  proper  to  add  to  this  narrative  of  my  mineralogical 
visit  to  these  mines,  a  few  words  respecting  the  Fox  Indians,  by 
whom  the  country  is  OAvned.  The  first  we  hear  of  these  people 
is  from  early  missionaries  of  New  France,  who  call  them,  in  a 
list  drawn  up  for  the  government  in  1736,  "Gens  du  Sang,"  and 
Miskaukis.  The  latter  I  found  to  be  the  name  they  apply  to  them- 
selves. We  get  nothing,  however,  by  it.  It  means  Eed-earths, 
being  a  compound  from  misk-iuau,  red,  and  auki,  earth.  They 
are  a  branch  of  the  great  Algonquin  family.  The  French,  who 
formed  a  bad  opinion  of  them,  as  their  history  opened,  bestowed 

*  For  the  facts  in  this  case,  see  Collection  of  Land  Laics  of  the  United  States, 
printed  at  Washington,  1817. 


176  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

on  them  the  name  of  Eenouard,  from  which  we  derive  their  long- 
standing popular  name.  Their  traditions  attribute  their  origin 
to  eastern  portions  of  America.  Mr.  Gates,  who  acted  as  my 
interpreter,  and  is  well  acquainted  with  their  language  and  cus- 
toms, informs  me  that  their  traditions  refer  to  their  residence  on 
the  north  banks  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  near  the  ancient  Cataraqui. 
They  appear  to  have  been  a  very  erratic,  spirited,  warlike,  and 
treacherous  tribe ;  dwelling  but  a  short  time  at  a  spot,  and  push- 
ing westward,  as  their  affairs  led  them,  till  they  finally  reached 
the  Mississippi,  which  they  must  have  crossed  after  1766,  for 
Carver  found  them  living  in  villages  on  the  Wisconsin.  At 
Saginaw,  they  appear  to  have  formed  a  fast  alliance  with  the 
Saucs,  a  tribe  to  whom  they  are  closely  allied  by  language  and 
history.  They  figure  in  the  history  of  Indian  events  about  old 
Michilimackinac,  where  they  played  pranks  under  the  not  very 
definite  title  of  Muscodainsug,  but  are  first  conspicuously  noted 
while  they  dwelt  on  the  river  bearing  their  name,  which  falls  into 
Green  Bay,  Wisconsin.*  The  Chippewas,  with  whom  they  have 
strong  aflB.nity  of  language,  call  them  Otagami,  and  ever  deemed 
them  a  sanguinary  and  unreliable  tribe.  The  French  defeated 
them  in  a  sanguinary  battle  at  Butte  de  Mort,  and  by  this  defeat 
drove  them  from  Fox  Eiver. 

Their  present  numbers  cannot  be  accurately  given.  I  was  in- 
formed 'that  the  village  I  visited  contained  two  hundred  and  fifty 
souls.  They  have  a  large  village  at  Eock  Island,  where  the 
Foxes  and  Saucs  live  together,  which  consists  of  sixty  lodges, 
and  numbers  three  hundred  souls.  One-half  of  these  may  be 
Saucs.  They  have  another  village  at  the  mouth  of  Turkey 
Eiver ;  altogether,  they  may  muster  from  460  to  500  souls.  Yet, 
they  are  at  war  with  most  of  the  tribes  around  them,  except  the 
lowas,  Sancs,  and  Kickapoos.  They  are  engaged  in  a  deadly, 
and  apparently  successful  war  against  the  Sioux  tribes.  They 
recently  killed  nine  men  of  that  nation,  on  the  Terre  Blue  Eiver; 
and  a  party  of  twenty  men  are  now  absent,  in  the  same  direction, 
under  a  half-breed  named  Morgan.  They  are  on  bad  terms  with 
the  Osages  and  Pawnees  of  the  Missouri,  and  not  on  the  best 
terms  with  their  neighbors  the  Winnebagoes. 

*  This  name  -was  first  applied  to  a  territory  in  1836. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  177 

I  again  embarked  at  four  o'clock  A.  M.  (8th).  My  men  were 
stout  fellows,  and  worked  with  hearty  will,  and  it  was  thought 
possible  to  reach  the  Prairie  during  the  day,  by  hard  and  late 
pushing.  "We  passed  Turkey  Eiver  at  two  o'clock,  and  they 
boldly  plied  their  paddles,  sometimes  animating  their  labors  with 
a  song ;  but  the  Mississippi  proved  too  stout  for  us ;  and  some 
time  after  nightfall  we  put  ashore  on  an  island,  before  reaching 
the  Wisconsin.  In  ascending  the  river  this  day,  observed  the 
pelican,  which  exhibited  itself  in  a  flock,  standing  on  a  low  sandy 
spot  of  an  island.  This  bird  has  a  clumsy  and  unwieldy  look, 
from  the  duplicate  membrane  attached  to  its  lower  mandible, 
which  is  constructed  so  as  when  inflated  to  give  it  a  bag  like  ap- 
pearance. A  short  sleep  served  to  restore  the  men,  and  we  were 
again  in  our  canoes  the  next  morning  (9th)  before  I  could  cer- 
tainly tell  the  time  by  my  watch.  Daylight  had  not  yet  broke 
when  we  passed  the  influx  of  the  Wisconsin,  and  we  reached  the 
Prairie  under  a  full  chorus,  and  landed  at  six  o'clock. 


12 


178  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 


CHAPTER    XYI. 

The  expedition  proceeds  from  Prairie  du  Chein  up  the  Wisconsin  Valley — Incidents 
of  the  ascent — Etymology  of  the  name — The  low  state  of  its  waters  favorable  to 
the  observation  of  its  fresh-water  concbology — Cross  the  Wisconsin  summit,  and 
descend  the  Fox  River  to  Winnebago  Lake. 

We  were  now  at  the  foot  of  tlie  Wisconsin  Yalley — at  the 
point,  in  fact,  where  Marquette  and  Joliet,  coming  from  the 
forests  and  lakes  of  New  France,  had  discovered  the  great  River 
of  the  West,  in  1673.  Marquette,  led  by  his  rubrics,  named  it 
the  River  "Conception,"  but,  in  his  journal,  he  freely  employs  the 
aboriginal  term  of  Mississippi,  which  was  in  use  by  the  whole 
body  of  the  Algonquin  tribes.  While  awaiting,  at  Prairie  du 
Chein,  the  preparations  for  ascending  the  Wisconsin,  the  locality 
was  found  a  very  remarkable  one  for  its  large  unios,  and  some 
other  species  of  fresh-water  shells.  Some  specimens  of  the  unio 
crassus,  found  on  the  shores  of  the  island  in  the  Mississippi, 
opposite  the  village,  were  of  thrice  the  size  of  any  noticed  in 
America  or  Europe,  and  put  conchologists  in  doubt  whether 
the  species  should  not  be  named  giganteus.'^  I  had,  in  coming 
down  the  Mississippi,  procured  some  fine  and  large  specimens  of 
the  unio  purpureus  of  Mr.  Say,  at  the  Painted  Rock,  with  some 
other  species;  and  the  discovery  of  such  large  species  of  the 
crassus  served  to  direct  new  attention  to  the  subject. 

Our  sympathies  were  excited,  at  this  place,  by  observing  an 
object  of  human  deformity  in  the  person  of  an  Indian,  who,  to 
remedy  the  want  of  the  power  of  locomotion,  had  adjusted  his 
legs  in  a  large  wooden  bowl.  By  rocking  this  on  the  ground,  he 
supplied,  in  a  manner,  the  lost  locomotive  power.  This  man  of 
the  bowl  possessed  his  faculties  of  mind  unimpaired,  spoke  seve- 

*  American  Journal  of  Science,  vol.  vi.  p.  119. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  179 

ral  Indian  languages,  besides  the  Canadian  French,  and  appeared 
cheerful  and  intelligent.  An  excursion  into  the  adjacent  country, 
to  view  some  caves,  and  a  reported  mineral  locality  made  by 
Mr,  Trowbridge,  during  my  descent  to  the  mines  of  Dubuque, 
brought  me  some  concretions  of  carbonate  of  lime,  but  the  Indian 
guides  either  faltered  to  make  the  promised  discoveries,  through 
their  superstitions,  or  really  failed  in  the  effort  to  find  the  object. 
By  tracing  the  shores  of  the  Mississippi,  I  found  the  rolled  and 
hard  agates  and  other  quartz  species,  which  characterize  the 
pebble-drift  of  its  sources,  still  present  in  the  down-flowing  shore- 
drift. 

The  aboriginal  name  of  this  place  is  Kipesagi,  an  Algonquin 
word,  which  is  applied  to  the  mouth  or  outflow  of  the  Wisconsin 
River.  It  appears  to  be  based  on  the  verb  kipa^  to  be  thick  or 
turbid,  and  sauge,  outflow — the  river  at  its  floods,  being  but  little 
else  than  a  moving  mass  of  sand  and  water. 

It  was  the  9th  (Aug.)  at  half-past  ten  in  the  morning  before 
the  expedition  left  the  Prairie  to  ascend  the  Wisconsin,  the  mouth 
of  which  we  reached  after  descending  the  Mississippi  three  miles. 
This  is  an  impressive  scene — the  bold  ciifi's  of  the  west  bank  of 
the  Mississippi,  with  Pike's-hill  rising  in  front  on  the  west,  while 
those  of  the  Wisconsin  Valley  stand  at  but  little  less  elevation 
on  the  north  and  south.  At  this  season  of  the  year  the  water  is 
clear  and  placid,  and  mingles  itself  in  its  mighty  recipient  without 
disturbance.  But  it  is  easy  to  conceive,  what  the  Indians  affirm, 
that  in  its  floods  it  is  a  strong  and  turbid  mass  of  moving  waters, 
against  which  nothing  can  stand.  This  character  of  the  stream  is 
believed,  indeed,  to  be  the  origin  of  the  Indian  name  of  Wisconsin. 
Miskawagumi,  means  a  strong  or  mixed  water,  or  liquid.  By  add- 
ing to  this  word  totoshaho  (milk),  the  meaning  is  coagulated  or  turn- 
ing milk ;  it  is  often  used  to  mean  brandy,  which  is  then  called 
strong  water;  by  adding  iscodawcibo,  the  meaning  is  fire-water. 
Marquette,  in  1673,  spells  the  name  of  the  river  indifferently 
Meshkousing,  and  Mishkousing.  Of  this  term,  the  inflection  ing, 
is  simply  a  local  form,  the  letter  s  being  thrown  in  for  euphony. 
This  word  appears  to  be  a  derivation  from  the  term  onushkowa, 
strong  water.  By  admitting  the  transmutation  of  m  to  w,  the 
initial  syllable  mis  is  changed  to  wis,  and  the  interpretation  is  then 
river  (or  place)  of  strong  waters.     The  term  of  kipesagi,  applied 


180  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION". 

to  its  mouth,  is  but  another  cliaracteristic  feature  of  it — the  one 
laying  stress  on  its  turbidity  in  fiood^  and  the  other  on  its  strength 
of  current.  These  are  certainly  the  two  leading  traits  of  the  "Wis- 
consin, which  rushes  with  a  great  average  velocity  over  an  in- 
clined plane,  without  falls,  for  a  great  distance.  It  originates  in 
a  remarkable  summit  of  sandy  plains,  which  send  out  to  the  west 
the  Chippewa  Eiver  of  Lake  Pepin,  to  the  north  the  Montreal 
and  Ontonagon  of  Lake  Superior,  and  to  the  east  the  Menomonee 
of  Green  Bay,  while  the  Wisconsin  becomes  its  southern  off- 
drain,  till  it  finally  turns  west  at  the  Portage,  and  flows  into  the 
Mississippi. 

We  ascended,  the  first  day,  eighteen  miles;  the  next,  thirty- 
six  ;  the  third  day,  thirty -four  miles ;  the  fourth,  forty ;  the  fifth, 
thirty-eight,  and  the  sixth,  sixteen,  which  brought  us  to  the  Fox 
and  Wisconsin  Portage,  a  spot  renowned  from  the  earliest  French 
days  of  western  discovery.  For  here,  on  the  waters  separating 
the  Mississippi  from  the  great  lakes,  there  had,  at  successive 
intervals,  been  pitched  the  tents  of  Marquette,  La  Hontan,  Carver, 
and  other  explorers,  who  have,  in  their  published  journals,  left 
traces  of  their  footsteps.  La  Salle,  who  excelled  them  all  in 
energy  of  character,  proceeded  to  the  Mississippi  from  Lake 
Michigan,  down  the  Illinois. 

Our  estimates  made  the  distance  from  the  Mississippi  to  this 
point  one  hundred  and  eighty-two  miles.  It  is  a  wide,  and  (at 
this  season)  shallow  stream,  with  transparent  waters,  running  over 
a  bed  of  yellow  sand,  checkered  with  numerous  small  islands, 
and  long  spits  of  sandbars.  There  is  not  a  fall  in  this  distance, 
and  it  must  be  navigable  with  large  craft  during  the  periodical 
freshets.  It  receives  the  Blue,  Pine,  and  other  tributaries  in  this 
distance.  Its  valley  presents  a  geological  section,  on  a  large 
scale,  of  the  series  of  lead-bearing  rocks  extending  in  regular 
succession  from  the  fundamental  sandstone  to  the  topmost  lime- 
stones. The  water  being  shallow  and  warm,  we  often  waded 
from  bar  to  bar,  and  found  the  scene  a  fruitful  one  for  its  fresh- 
water conchology.  The  Indians  frequently  amused  me  by 
accounts  of  the  lead  mines  and  mineral  productions  of  its  borders ; 
but  I  followed  them  in  this  search  only  to  be  convinced  that 
they  were  without  sincerity  in  these  representations,  and  had  no 
higher  objects  on  this  head,  than,'by  assuming  a  conciliatory  man- 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  181 

ner,  to  secure  temporary  advantages  while  the  expedition  was 
passing  through  their  country.  The  valley  belongs  to  the  Win- 
nebagoes,  whom  we  frequently  met,  and  received  a  friendly  recep- 
tion from.  We  also  encountered  Menomonies,  who  occupy  the 
lower  part  of  the  adjacent  Fox  Eiver  Valley,  but  rove  widely  west 
and  north  over  the  countries  of  the  tribes  they  are  at  peace  with. 

The  Wisconsin  Yalley  was  formerly  inhabited  by  the  Sacs  and 
Foxes,  who  raised  large  quantities  of  corn  and  beans  on  its  fer- 
tile shores.  They  were  driven  by  the  French,  in  alliance  with 
the  Chippewas  and  Menomonies.  It  is  now  possessed  exclusively 
by  the  Winnebagoes,  a  savage  and  bloodthirsty  tribe,  who  came, 
according  to  tradition,  many  years  ago  from  the  south,  and  are 
thought  to  be  related  to  some  of  the  Mexican  tribes.  Their  lan- 
guage is  cognate  with  the  great  Sioux  or  Dakota  stock  west  of 
the  Mississippi,  who  likewise  date  their  origin  south.  To  those 
accustomed  to  hear  the  softer  tones  of  the  Chippewa  and  Algon- 
quin, it  sounds  harsh  and  guttural.  Their  name  for  themselves 
is  Hochungara ;  the  French  call  them  Puants. 

In  passing  up  this  valley,  an  almost  never-failing  object  of 
interest  was  furnished  by  the  univalve  shells  found  along  its 
banks,  and  by  the  variety  in  size,  shape,  and  color  which  they 
exhibited.  Of  these,  the  late  Mr.  Barnes  has  described,  from  my 
duplicates,  the  U.  plicatus,  U.  verrucosus,  U.  ventricosus,  U.  pla- 
nus, U.  obliqua,  and  U.  gracilis.*  We  frequently  observed  the 
scolipax  minor,  the  plover,  the  A.  alcyon,  a  small  yellow  bird, 
and  C.  vociferus,  along  its  sandy  shores ;  and,  in  other  positions, 
the  brant,  the  grouse,  the  A.  sponsa,  and  the  summer  duck,  and 
F.  melodia.  A  range  of  hills  extends  from  the  Mississippi,  on  each 
shore,  to  within  twenty  miles  of  the  Portage,  where  it  ceases,  on 
the  south  side,  but  continues  on  the  north — receding,  however,  a 
considerable  distance.  This  section  is  called  the  Highlands  of 
the  Wisconsin.  The  stratification  is  exclusively  sandstone  and 
limestone,  in  the  usual  order  of  the  metalliferous  series  of  the 
West,  and  lying  in  horizontal  positions. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  rattlesnake  in  the  Yalley  of  the  Wis- 
consin. The  larger,  or  barred  crotalis,  is  confined  to  the  hills, 
and  attains  a  large  size.    I  killed  one  of  this  species  at  the  mouth 

*  American  Journal  of  Science,  vol.  vi.  p.  120,  &c. 


182  NARKATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

of  a  small  cave  on  the  summit  of  a  cliff  to  which  I  ascended, 
which  measured  four  feet  in  length,  and  had  nine  rattles.  Its 
great  thickness  attracted  notice.  Attaching  a  twig  to  its  neck,  I 
drew  it  down  into  the  valley  as  a  present  to  our  Indians,  know- 
ing that  they  regard  the  reptile  in  a  peculiar  manner.  They 
found  it  a  female,  having  eleven  young,  who  had  taken  shelter 
in  their  maternal  abdominal  covering.  The  Ottowas  carefully 
took  ofi'  the  skin,  and  brought  it  with  them.  The  second  kind 
of  this  reptile  is  called  prairie  rattlesnake,  is  confined  to  the 
plains,  and  does  not  exceed  fifteen  or  twenty  inches  in  length. 

The  Indians  had  reported  localities  of  lead,  copper,  and  silver 
at  various  places,  but  always  failed,  as  we  ascended,  to  reveal 
anything  of  more  value  than  detached  pieces  of  sulphuret  of  iron, 
or  brown  iron-stone.  When  we  reached  the  portage,  a  Winne- 
bago, who  had  been  the  chief  person  in  making  these  reports, 
came  with  great  ceremony  to  present  a  specimen  of  his  reported 
silver.  On  taking  off  the  envelop  it  turned  out  to  be  a  small 
mass  of  light-colored  glistening  folia  of  mica.  We  had  found  the 
horizontal  rocks  along  the  stream  thus  far,  but  the  primitive 
shows  itself,  within  a  mile  north  of  the  portage,  in  orbicular 
masses  in  situ,  coming  through  the  prairies. 

Having  reached  the  summit,  we  proceeded  across  it  to  the 
banks  of  Fox  Eiver,  where  we  encamped.  It  consists  of  a  level 
plain.  The  distance  is  a  mile  and  a  half.  It  required,  however, 
some  time  to  have  our  baggage  and  canoes  transported,  which 
was  done  by  a  Frenchman  residing  at  this  summit.  Such  is  the 
slight  difference  in  the  level  of  the  two  rivers,  that  Indian  canoes 
are  pushed  through  the  marshy  ridges  when  the  rivers  are  swelled 
by  freshets.  It  was  half-past  three  o'clock  of  the  15th,  the  day 
following  our  arrival,  before  the  transportation  and  loading  of 
our  canoes  was  completed.  It  was  then  necessary  to  push  our 
canoes  through  fields  of  rushes  and  other  aquatic  plants,  through 
which  the  river  winds.  This  was  a  slow  mode  of  progress,  and 
we  spent  the  remainder  of  the  day  in  passing  fifteen  miles,  which 
brought  us  to  the  forks,  so  called,  where  the  northern  unites 
with  the  southern  branch  of  the  river.  At  this  spot  we  encamped. 
Next  day  we  estimated  our  descent  at  sixty -three  miles,  having 
found  the  navigation  less  intricate  and  obstructed  from  the  aquatic 
growth.    In  this  distance  we  passed,  at  thirty  miles  below  the 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  183 

fork,  a  piece  of  clear  water  of  nine  miles  extent,  called  Buffalo 
Lake ;  and  at  the  distance  of  twelve  miles  lower,  another  lake  of 
some  twelve  miles  in  extent,  called  Puckaway  Lake.  Down  to 
this  point,  the  Fox  Kiver  has  scarcely  a  perceptible  current.  We 
found  we  had  not  only,  in  parting  from  the  Wisconsin  to  the  Fox, 
exchanged  an  open,  swift,  and  strong  flowing  current,  for  a  very 
quiet  and  still  one,  winding  through  areas  of  wild  rice  and  the 
whole  family  of  water  plants ;  but  had  intruded  into  a  region  of 
water-fowl  and  birds  of  every  plumage,  who,  as  they  rioted  upon 
their  cherished  zizania  aquatica,  made  the  air  resound  with  their 
screams.  The  blackbird  appeared  to  be  lord  of  these  fields.  We 
had  also  intruded  upon  a  favorite  region  of  the  water-snake,  who, 
coiled  up  on  his  bed  of  plants  at  every  bend  of  the  stream,  slid 
off  with  spiteful  glance  into  the  stream.  In  passing  these  places 
of  habitation,  which  the  Chippewas  call  wauzh,  we  perceptibly 
smelt  an  unpleasant  odor  arising  from  it. 

The  next  day  we  descended  the  river  seventy  miles.  There  is 
a  perceptible  current  below  Puckaway  Lake.  The  river  increases 
in  width  and  depth,  and  offers  no  impediment  whatever  to  its 
navigation.  Fox  Eiver  runs,  indeed,  from  the  portage  to  Winne- 
bago Lake  on  a  summit,  over  which  it  winds  among  sylvan  hills, 
covered  with  grass  and  prairie-flowers,  interspersed  with  groves 
of  oak,  elm,  ash,  and  hickory,  and  dotted  at  intervals  with  lakes 
of  refreshing  transparent  water.  The  height  of  this  summit, 
above  the  Mississippi  and  the  lakes,  must  be  several  hundred 
feet  (stated  at  234),  which  permits  the  stream  to  flow  with  live- 
liness, insuring,  when  it  comes  to  be  settled,*  the  erection  of 
hydraulic  works ;  and  it  would  be  difficult  to  point  to  a  region 
possessing  in  its  soil,  climate,  and  natural  resources,  a  more  favor- 
able character  for  an  agricultural  population.  It  has  a  diversified 
surface,  without  mountains ;  a  fine  dry  atmosphere ;  an  admirable 

*  Wisconsin.  This  region  was  separated  from  Michigan,  and  formed  into  a 
separate  territory  in  1836;  and  admitted  as  a  State  in  1848.  By  the  census  of 
1850,  it  has  a  population  of  305,391,  divided  into  33,517  families,  occupying  32,962 
dwellings,  and  cultivating  1,045,499  acres  of  land.  There  are  43  organized  coun- 
ties, and  334  churches  of  all  denominations,  giving  one  church  to  every  1,250  inha- 
bitants. It  has  three  representatives  in  the  popular  branch  of  Congress.  It  was 
16  years  after  my  visit,  before  it  had  a  distinct  legal  existence — it  increased  to  be- 
come a  State  in  twelve  years;  and,  according  to  our  ordinary  rate  of  increase,  will 
contain  one  million  of  inhabitants  in  1890. 


184  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

drainage  east,  west,  north,  and  south,  and  a  ready  access  to  the 
great  oceanic  marts  through  the  Great  Lake  and  the  Mississippi, 

"We  passed,  this  day,  several  encampments  and  villages  of  Win- 
nebagoes  and  Menomonies — tribes,  who,  with  the  erratic  habits  of 
the  Tartars,  or  Bedouins,  once  spread  their  tents  in  the  Fox  and 
Wisconsin  valleys,  but  have  now  (1853)  relinquished  them  to  the 
European  race ;  and  it  does  not,  at  this  distance  of  time,  seem  im- 
portant to  denote  the  particular  spots  where  they  once  boiled 
their  kettles  of  corn,  or  thumped  their  magic  drums.  God  have 
mercy  on  them  in  their  wild  wanderings !  We  also  passed  the 
entrance  of  Wolf  Eiver,  a  fine  bold  stream  on  the  left ;  and  soon 
below  it  the  handsome  elevation  of  La  Butte  de  Morts,  or  the 
Hillock  of  the  Dead.  This  eminence  was  covered  by  the  frail 
lodges  of  the  Winnebagoes.  The  spot  is  memorable  in  Indian 
history,  for  a  signal  defeat  of  the  Foxes,  by  the  French  and  their 
Indian  allies  in  the  seventeenth  century,  after  which,  this  tribe  was 
finally  expelled  from  the  Fox  valley.  Our  night's  encampment 
(17th)  was  below  this  spot.  The  night  air  was  remarkably  cold,  and 
put  an  end  to  our  further  annoyance  from  mosquitos.  We  em- 
barked at  five  o'clock  the  next  morning  during  a  dense  fog,  which 
was  in  due  time  dissipated  by  the  rising  sun.  We  had  been  five 
hours  in  our  canoes,  under  the  full  force  of  paddles,  when  we 
entered  Winnebago  Lake.  This  is  a  most  beautiful  and  sylvan 
expanse  of  water  some  twenty-four  miles  long  by  ten  in  width, 
surrounded  by  picturesque  prairie  and  sloping  plains.  It  has  a 
stream  at  Fond  du  Lac,  its  southern  extremity,*  which  is  con- 
nected by  a  short  portage  with  the  principal  source  of  Eock  Eiver 
of  the  Mississippi. 

The  Fox  Eiver,  after  having  displayed  itself  in  the  lake,  leaves 
it,  at  its  northern  extremity,  flowing  by  a  succession  of  rapids 
and  falls  over  horizontal  limestones  to  the  head  of  Green  Bay. 

*  This  spot  is  now  the  site  of  the  flourishing  town  of  Fond  du  Lac,  which  was 
laid  out  in  1845.  It  had  a  population  of  2,014  in  1850,  including  two  newspaper 
offices,  two  banking  houses,  one  iron  foundry,  a  car  factory,  twelve  drygoods  stores, 
and  sixty  other  stores.  It  is  situated  72  miles  N.  N.  W.  from  Milwaukie,  and  90 
N.  E.  from  Madison,  the  capital  of  the  State  of  Wisconsin.  It  is  the  shire  town  of 
a  county  containing  a  population  of  14,510,  with  17  churches,  and  2,844  pupils 
attending  public  schools,  and  85  attending  academies.  It  has  a  plank  road  to  Lake 
Michigan,  and  will  soon  be  connected  by  a  railroad  with  Chicago.  It  is  by  such 
means  that  the  American  frilderness  is  conquered. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  185 

There  is  a  Winnebago  village,  under  IIoo  Tshoop,  or  Four  Legs, 
at  the  point  of  outlet,  where  we  landed,  and  as  the  first  rapid 
begins  at  that  point,  creating  a  delay,  I  took  the  occasion  to  ex- 
amine its  geology  more  closely,  by  procuring  fresh  fractures  of  the 
masses  of  rock  in  the  vicinity.  This  process,  it  appeared,  was 
narrowly  watched  by  the  Indians,  who  wondered  what  such  a 
scrutiny  should  mean.  The  French,  said  the  chief  to  one  of 
our  interpreters,  formerly  held  possession  of  this  country ;  and, 
afterwards,  came  the  British.  They  contented  themselves  with 
common  things,  and  never  disturbed  these  rocks,  which  have 
been  laying  here  forever.  But  the  moment  the  Americans  get 
possession  of  the  country,  they  must  come  and  knock  off  pieces 
of  the  rock,  and  look  at  them.     It  is  marvellous ! 

A  brilliant  mass  of  native  copper,  weighing  ten  or  twelve 
pounds,  was  found  by  an  Indian,  some  years  ago,  on  the  shores 
of  this  lake.  The  moment  he  espied  it,  his  imagination  was  fired, 
and  he  fancied  he  beheld  the  form  of  a  beautiful  female,  standing 
in  the  water.  Glittering  in  radiancy,  she  held  out  in  her  hand 
a  lump  of  gold.  He  paddled  his  canoe  towards  her,  furtively 
and  slow,  but,  as  he  advanced,  a  transformation  gradually  ensued. 
Her  eyes  lost  their  brilliancy,  her  face  the  glow  of  life  and  health, 
her  arms  disappeared;  and  when  he  reached  the  spot,  the  object 
had  changed  into  a  stone  monument  of  the  human  form,  with  the 
tail  of  a  fish.  Amazed,  he  sat  awhile  in  silence;  then,  lighting  his 
pipe,  he  offered  it  the  incense  of  tobacco,  and  addressed  it,  as  the 
guardian  angel  of  his  country.  Lifting  the  miraculous  image 
gently  into  his  canoe,  he  took  his  seat,  with  his  face  in  an  oppo- 
site direction,  and  paddled  towards  shore,  on  reaching  which,  and 
turning  round  to  the  object  of  his  regard,  he  discovered,  in  its 
place,  nothing  but  a  lump  of  shining  virgin  copper. 

Such  are  the  imaginative  efforts  of  this  race,  who  look  to  the 
eyes  of  civilization  as  if  they  had  themselves  faces  of  stone,  and 
hearts  of  adamant. 


186  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 


CHAPTER    XYII. 

Descent  of  the  Fox  River  from  Winnebago  Lake  to  Green  Bay— Incidents  — 
Etymology,  conchology,  mineralogy — Falls  of  the  Konomic  and  Kakala — Popula- 
tion and  antiquity  of  the  settlement  of  Green  Bay— Appearances  of  a  tide,  not 
sustained. 

A  RAPID  commences  at  the  precise  point  where  Fox  River 
issues  from  Winnebago  Lake,  This  rapid,  down  which  canoes 
descend  with  half  loads,  extends  a  mile  and  a  half,  when  the  river 
assumes  its  usual  navigable  form,  presenting  a  noble  volume. 
Nine  miles  below  this,  a  ledge  of  the  semi-crystalline  limestone 
rock  crosses  the  entire  channel,  lifting  itself  five  feet  above  the  bed 
of  the  stream.  Over  this  the  Fox  River  throws  itself  by  an  abrupt 
cascade.  Down  this  shelf  of  rock,  the  canoes,  previously  lightened 
of  their  burden,  are  lifted  by  the  men.  It  was  sometime  after 
dark  when  we  reached  and  encamped  on  the  north  shore,  at  the 
foot  of  this  cascade,  which  bears  the  name  of  Konamik.  The 
syllable  l-on,  in  this  word,  appears  to  me  to  be  the  same  as  con 
in  Wisconsin,  and  is,  apparently,  a  derivative  from  a  term  for 
strong  water,  which  has,  in  this  case,  the  meaning  of  cascade  or 
fall.  The  word  amik^  its  terminal,  means  a  beaver.  We  thus 
have  the  probable  original  meaning  in  beaver-water,  or,  by  im- 
plication, beaver  cascade.  There  is  a  rapid  below  this  fall.  I 
judged  the  water  must  sink  its  level,  in  this  vicinity,  about  fifteen 
feet.  On  examining  the  character  of  the  limestone,  I  discovered 
crystals  of  calcareous  spar  occupying  small  cavities.  At  other 
localities,  at  lower  points,  there  were  found  crystals  of  black  sul- 
phuret  of  zinc,  and  yellow  sulphuret  of  iron.  The  rock  appears 
to  be  of  the  same  age  as  the  lead-bearing  limestone  of  the  West ; 
it  is  also  overlaid  by  the  red  marly  clay,  and  I  should  judge  it  to 
contain  deposits  of  sulphuret  of  lead. 

The  next  morning,  we  resumed  our  descent  of  the  Fox  River 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  187 

with  difficulty.  It  was  now  the  19th  of  August,  and  the  waters 
had  reached  their  lowest  summer  stage.  The  entire  distance  of 
twelve  miles  from  the  Konamik  to  the  Kakala  fall  may  be  deemed 
to  be,  at  this  season,  a  continuous  rapid.  Our  barge  was  aban- 
doned on  the  rapids.  While  the  men  toiled  in  these  rapids  to 
get  down  their  canoes,  it  was  found  rather  a  privilege  to  walk, 
for  it  gave  a  more  ample  opportunity  to  examine  the  mineral 
structure  and  productions  of  the  country. 

It  was  high  noon  when  we  reached  the  rapids  of  the  Kakala. 
This  is  a  formidable  rapid,  at  which  the  river  rushes  with  furious 
velocity  down  a  rocky  bed,  which  it  seems  impossible  boats  or 
canoes  should  ever  safely  descend.  It  demands  a  portage  to  be 
made,  under  all  circumstances,  the  water  sweeping  round  a  curve 
or  bow,  of  which  the  portage  path  is  the  string.  This  is  the 
apparent  meaning  of  the  term,  in  the  Indian  tongue;  but  it  is  dis- 
guised by  early  orthography,  in  which  the  letter  I  has  taken  the 
place  of  71,  and  the  syllable  in  of  cm.  The  term  Icakina  is  the 
ancient  French  form  of  the  Indian  transitive-adjective  aZZ,  inclu- 
sive, entirely.  There  is  another  root  for  the  term  in  hakiwa, 
which  is  the  ordinary  term  for  a  portage,  or  walk  across  a  point 
of  land,  which  is  rendered  local  by  the  usual  inflection,  o-nong. 

We  found  the  portage  path  to  be  a  well-beaten  wagon  road 
across  a  level  fertile  plain,  which  appeared  to  have  been  in  cul- 
tivation from  the  earliest  Indian  period.  Probably  it  had  been  a 
locality  for  the  tribes,  where  they  raised  their  favorite  maize,  long 
before  the  French  first  reached  the  waters  of  Green  Bay.  Evi- 
dence of  such  antiquity  in  the  plain  of  Kakala  appeared  in  an 
ancient  cemetery  of  a  circular  shape,  situated  on  one  side  of  the 
road,  on  a  comparatively  large  surface,  which  had  reached  the 
height  of  some  eight  or  ten  feet,  by  the  mere  accumulation  of 
graves.  This  has  all  the  appearance  of  a  sepulchral  mound,  in 
the  slow  process  of  construction ;  for,  on  viewing  it,  I  found  a 
recent  grave.  We  passed,  on  this  plain,  a  Winnebago  village  of 
ten  or  twelve  lodges,  embracing  two  hundred  souls.  The  portage 
is  continued  just  one  mile.  Embarking  again,  at  this  point,  we 
proceeded  down  the  river,  and  encamped  eight  miles  below  this 
point,  having,  with  every  exertion,  made  but  twenty  miles  this 
day. 

The  interest  which  had  been  excited  by  the  conchology  of  the 


188  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

Mississippi  and  "Wisconsin  valleys,  was  renewed  in  tHe  descent  of 
the  Fox  River,  particularly  in  the  section  of  it  below  Winnebago 
Lake.  Shrunk  to  its  lowest  summer  level,  its  shores  disclosed 
almost  innumerable  species  of  unios,  many  of  which  had  been 
manifestly  dragged  to  the  shores  and  opened  by  the  musk-rat, 
thus  serving  to  give  hints  for  finding  the  living  species.  Among 
these,  the  U.  obliqua,  U.  cornutus,  U.  ellipticus,  U.  carinatus,  U. 
Alatus,  U.  prselongus,  and  U.  parvus,  were  conspicuous;  the  latter 
of  which,  it  is  remarked  by  Mr.  Barnes,  is  the  smallest  and  most 
beautiful  of  all  the  genus  yet  discovered  in  America.*  In  the 
duplicates,  from  this  part  of  the  Fox  River,  transmitted  to  Mr. 
Isaac  Lea,  of  Philadelphia,  he  found  a  species  with  green-rayed 
beaks,  on  a  yellow  surface  and  iridescent  nacre,  having  a  peculiar 
structure,  which  he  did  me  the  honor  to  name  after  me.f  The 
description  of  Mr.  Lea  is  as  follows:  "Unio  Schoolcraftensis. 
Shell  subrotund,  somewhat  angular  at  posterior  dorsal  margin, 
nearly  equilateral,  compressed,  slightly  tuberculate  posteriorly  to 
umbonical  slope.  Substance  of  the  shell  rather  thick  ;  beaks  ele- 
vated; ligament  short;  epidermis  smooth  yellow,  with  several 
broad  green  rays ;  teeth  elevated,  and  cleft  in  the  left  valve,  single, 
and  rising  from  a  pit  in  the  right;  lateral  teeth  elevated,  straight, 
and  lamellar;  anterior  cicatrices  distinct,  posterior  cicatrices 
confluent;  dorsal  cicatrices  within  the  cavity  of  the  shell  on  the 
base  of  the  cardinal  tooth ;  cavity  of  the  beaks  angular  and  deep; 
nacre  pearly  white  and  iridescent.  Diameter  '7,  length  I'l, 
breadth  1'3  inches." 

The  next  morning  (20th),  a  heavy  fog  in  the  Fox  Valley  de- 
tained us  in  our  encampment  till  7  o'clock.  Six  miles  brought 
us  to  another  rapid,  called  the  Little  Kakala,  which,  however, 
opposes  no  obstacle  to  the  descent  of  canoes.  At  this  spot,  which 
is  the  apparent  western  terminus  of  the  Bay  settlement,  we  found 
a  party  of  U.  S.  soldiers,  from  Fort  Howard,  engaged  in  digging 
the  foundations  for  a  saw-mill.  Our  appearance  must  have  been 
somewhat  rusty  at  this  time,  from  our  deficiences  in  the  tonsorial 
and  sempstrescal  way,  for  these  sons  of  Mars  did  not  recognize 
their  superior  officers  in  Capt.  Douglass  and  Lt.  Mackay ;  glibly 

*  Amer.  Journ.  Science,  vol.  vi.  pp.  120,  259,  &c. 

•j-  Transactions  of  tlie  American  Philosophical  Society,  vol.  v.  p.  37 ;  plate  3,  fig,  9. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  189 

saying,  in  a  jolly  way,  as  tliey  handed  them  a  drink  of  water : 
*'  After  me,  sir,  is  manners ;"  and  drinking  off  the  first  cup.  At  this 
rapid  I  got  out  of  my  canoe,  wishing  to  see  the  geological  forma- 
tion more  fully,  and  walked  quite  to  the  Eapide  du  Pere,  where 
Fox  Kiver  finds  its  level  in  the  broad,  elongated,  and  lake-like 
tongue  of  water,  extending  up  from  the  head  of  Green  Bay.  On 
reaching  this  point,  the  scene  of  the  settlement  first  burst  on  our 
view,  with  its  farm-houses  and  cultivated  fields  stretching,  for 
five  miles,  along  both  banks  of  the  river;  disclosing  the  flagstaff 
of  the  distant  fort,  and  the  bannered  masts  of  vessels,  all  of  which 
brought  vividly  to  mind  our  approach  to  the  civilized  world.  If 
the  Canadian  boat-song  was  ever  exhilarating  and  appropriate,  it 
was  peculiarly  so  on  the  present  occasion ;  and  when  our  voya- 
geurs  burst  out,  in  full  chorus,  with  the  ancient  ditty,  beginning, 

"  Lafille  du  Roi  son  vout  ckassau, 
Avec  son  grande  fusee  d' largent," 

they  waked  up  a  responsive  feeling,  not  alone  in  the  breasts  of 
the  French  hahitans^  lining  the  shores  of  the  river,  but  in  our 
own  breasts.  On  reaching  the  fort,  the  salute  due  to  the  gover- 
nor of  a  territory  was  paid,  in  honor  of  our  leader,  Governor 
Cass;  and  in  exchanging  congratulations  with  the  officers  and 
citizens,  we  began  first  to  feel,  in  reality,  that,  after  passing  among 
many  savage  tribes,  our  scalps  were  still  safely  on  our  heads.  I 
found,  at  the  fort,  letters  from  ray  friends,  and  was  thus  reminded 
that  warm  sympathies  had  been  alive  for  our  fate.  Weary  regions 
had  now  been  past,  and  privations  endured,  of  which  we  thought 
little,  at  the  time ;  the  flag  of  the  Union  had  been  carried  among 
barbarous  tribes,  who  hardly  knew  there  was  such  a  power  as  the 
United  States,  or,  if  they  knew,  despised  it ;  and  some  informa- 
tion had  been  gathered,  which  it  was  hoped  would  enlarge  the 
boundaries  of  science,  and  would  at  the  same  time  send  a  thrill  of 
satisfaction,  and  impart  a  feeling  of  security,  along  the  whole  line 
of  the  advanced  and  extended  western  settlements.  If  Berkeley, 
in  the  dark  days  of  the  Commonwealth  of  England,  could  turn  to 
the  West,  with  exultation,  as  the  hope  of  the  nation,  it  must  be 
admitted  that  it  is  by  some  out-door  means,  like  this,  that  the  way 
for  the  car  of  "  empire"  must  be  prepared. 

We  found  the  fort,  which  bears  the  name  of  Howard,  in  charge 


190  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

of  Capt.  "W.  "Wistler,  during  the  absence  of  Col.  Joseph  L,  Smith. 
Its  strength  consists  of  three  hundred  men,  together  with  about 
the  same  number  of  infantry  at  Camp  Smith,  at  Eock  or  Dupere 
Rapid,  a  few  miles  above,  who  are  engaged  in  quarrying  stone  for 
a  permanent  fortification  at  that  point.  On  visiting  this  quarry, 
I  found  it  to  consist  of  a  bluish-gray  limestone,  semi-crystalline  in 
its  structure,  containing  small  disseminated  masses  of  sulphuret 
of  zinc,  calc-spar,  and  iron  pyrites,  and  corresponding,  in  every 
respect,  with  the  beds  of  this  rock  observed  along  the  upper  parts 
of  the  Fox  and  "Wisconsin  valleys. 

Fort  Howard  is  seated  on  a  handsome  fertile  plain,  on  the  north 
banks  of  the  Fox,  near  its  mouth.  It  consists  of  a  stockade  of 
timber,  thirty  feet  high,  inclosing  barracks,  which  face  three  sides 
of  a  quadrangle.  This  forms  a  fine  parade.  There  are  block- 
houses, mounting  guns,  at  the  angles,  and  quarters  for  the  sur- 
geon and  quartermaster,  separately  constructed.  The  whole  is 
whitewashed,  and  presents  a  neat  military  appearance.  The 
gardens  of  the  military  denote  the  most  fruitful  soil  and  genial 
climate.  Data  observed  by  the  surgeon,  indicate  the  site  to  be 
unexcelled  for  its  salubrity,  such  a  disease  as  fever,  of  any  kind, 
never  having  visited  it,  in  either  an  endemic  or  epidemic  form. 

The  name  of  Green  Bay  is  associated  with  our  earliest  ideas  of 
French  history  in  America.  When  La  Salle  visited  the  country 
in  the  17th  century,  it  had  been  many  years  known  to  the  French, 
and  was  esteemed  one  of  the  prime  posts  for  trading  with  the 
Indians.  The  chief  tribes  who  were  located  here,  and  in  the  vi- 
cinity, making  this  their  central  point  of  trade,  were  the  Puants, 
1.  e.  Winnebagoes,  Malomonies,  or  Folle  Avoins,  known  to  us 
as  Menomonies,  Sacs,  and  Foxes,  called  also  Sakis,  Outagami, 
and  Renouards,  and  it  was  also  the  seat  of  trade  for  the  equivo- 
cal tribe  of  the  Mascoutins.  The  present  inhabitants  are,  with 
few  exceptions,  descendants  of  the  original  French,  who  inter- 
married with  Indian  women),  and  who  still  speak  the  French  and 
Indian  languages.  They  are  indolent,  gay,  and  illiterate.  I  was 
told  there  were  five  hundred  inhabitants,  and  about  sixty  princi- 
pal dwellings,  beside  temporary  structures.  There  are  seventy 
inhabitants  enrolled  as  militia-men,  and  the  settlement  has  civil 
courts,  being  the  seat  of  justice  from  Brown  County,  Michigan, 
so  called  in  honor  of  Major-General  Jacob  Brown,  U.  S.  A.     The 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  191 

place  is  surrounded  by  the  woodlands  and  forests,  and  seems 
destined  to  be  an  important  lake-port  *  The  Algonquin  name 
for  this  place  is  Boatchweekwaid,  a  term  which  describes  an  ec- 
centric or  abrupt  bay,  or  inlet.  Nothing  could  more  truly  depict 
its  singular  position ;  it  is,  in  fact,  a  kind  of  cul-de-sac — a  dupli- 
cature  of  Lake  Michigan,  with  the  coast-shore  of  which  it  lies 
parallel  for  about  ninety  miles. 

The  singular  configuration  of  this  bay  appears  to  be  the  chief 
cause  of  the  appearances  of  a  tide  at  the  point  where  it  is  entered  by 
Fox  Eiver.  This  phenomenon  was  early  noticed  by  the  French. 
La  Hontan  mentions  it  in  1689.  Charlevoix  remarks  on  it  in 
1721,  and  suggests  its  probable  cause,  which  is,  in  his  opinion, 
explained  by  the  fact  that  Lakes  Michigan  and  Huron,  alternately 
empty  themselves  into  each  other  through  the  Straits  of  Michili- 
mackinac.  The  effects  of  such  a  flux  and  reflux,  under  the 
power  of  the  winds,  would  appear  to  place  Green  Bay  in  the  posi- 
tion of  a  siphon,  on  the  west  of  Lake  Michigan,  and  go  far  to 
account  for  the  singular  fluctuations  of  the  current  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Fox  Eiver.  On  reaching  this  spot  of  the  rising  and  falling 
of  the  lake  waters.  Governor  Cass  caused  observations  to  be  made, 
which  he  greatly  extended  at  a  subsequent  period.f  These  give 
no  countenance  to  the  theory  of  regular  tides,  but  denote  the 
changes  in  the  level  of  the  waters  to  be  eccentrically  irregular, 
and  dependent,  so  far  as  the  observations  extend,  altogether  on 
the  condition  of  the  winds  and  currents  of  the  lakes. 

Something  analogous  to  this  is  perceived  in  the  Baltic,  which 
has  no  regular  tides,  and  therefore  experiences  no  difference  of 
height,  except  when  the  wind  blows  violently.  "  At  such  times," 
says  Pennant,:}:  "there  is  a  current  in  and  out  of  the  Baltic,  ac- 
cording to  the  points  they  blow  from,  which  forces  the  water 

*  Green  Bat.  This  town  has  just  (1854)  been  incorporated  as  a  city,  the  anti- 
cipations respecting  it  having  been  slow  in  being  realized.  It  has  now  an  esti- 
mated population  of  3,000,  with  several  churches  in  a  healthy  and  flourishing  state, 
two  printing  presses,  a  post-office,  collectorship,  and  thriving  agricultural  and  com- 
mercial advantages,  which  will  be  fully  realized  when  the  internal  improvements  in 
process  of  construction  through  the  Fox  and  Wisconsin  valleys  are  finished.  Its 
extreme  salubrity  has,  it  seems,  been  disregarded  by  emigrants. 

f  American  Journal  of  Science,  vol.  xvii. 

X  Arctic  Geology. 


192  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

througli  the  sound,  with  the  velocity  of  two  or  three  Danish 
miles  in  the  hour.  When  the  wind  blows  violently  from  the 
German  Sea,  the  water  rises  in  several  Baltic  harbors,  and  gives 
those  in  the  western  tract  a  temporary  saltness;  otherwise,  the 
Baltic  loses  that  other  property  of  a  sea,  by  reason  of  the  want 
of  tide,  and  the  quantity  of  vast  rivers  it  receives,  which  sweeten 
it  so  much  as  to  render  it,  in  many  places,  fit  for  domestic  use." 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  193 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

The  expedition  traces  the  west  shores  of  Lake  Michigan  southerly  to  Chicago — 
Outline  of  the  journey  along  this  coast — Sites  of  Manitoowoc,  Sheboigan,  Mil- 
waukie,  Racine,  ami  Chicago,  being  the  present  chief  towns  and  cities  of  Wis- 
consin anJ  Illinois  on  the  west  shores  of  that  Lake — Final  reorganization  of 
the  party  and  departure  from  Chicago. 

Two  days  spent  in  preparations  to  reorganize  the  expedition, 
enabled  it  to  continue  its  explorations.  For  tlie  purpose  of 
tracing  the  western  and  northern  shores  of  Green  Bay,  and  the 
northern  shores  of  Lake  Michigan,  a  sub-expedition  was  jBtted 
out,  under  Mr.  Trowbridge,  our  sub-topographer,  who  was  ac- 
companied by  Mr.  J.  D.  Doty,  Mr.  Alex.  R.  Chase,  and  James 
Riley,  the  Chippewa  interpreter.  The  auxiliary  Indians,  who 
had,  thus  far,  attended  us  in  a  separate  canoe,  were  rewarded  for 
their  services,  furnished  with  provisions  to  reach  their  homes, 
and  dismissed.  The  escort  of  soldiers  under  Lieut.  Mackay, 
L".  S.  A.,  were  returned  to  their  respective  companies  at  Fort 
Iloward  and  Camp  Smith.  The  Chippewa  cliief,  laha  Waicash- 
hash,  or  the  Buck,  who  belonged  to  Michilimackinac,  went  with 
Mr.  Trowbridge,  together  with  Jo  Parks,  the  intelligent  Shawnee 
captive,  and  assimilated  Shawnee  of  Waughpekennota,*  Ohio. 
The  Ottowa  chief,  Kewaygooshkum,  of  Grand  River,  took  the 
rest  of  the  party  in  a  separate  canoe  to  their  destination.  Our 
collections  in  natural  history  were  shipped  in  the  schooner  De- 

*  Wacghpekexnota.  This  place  was  then  the  residence  of  the  Shawnee  tribe, 
under  the  Prophet  Elksattawa,  of  war  memory,  the  celebrated  bi-other  of  Tecumseh, 
who,  seeing  the  intrusive  tread  of  the  Americans,  headed,  in  1827,  the  first  explor- 
ing party  of  the  tribe  to  the  west  of  the  Mississippi,  where  they  finally  settled.  After 
living  twenty-seven  years  at  this  spot,  they  found  themselves  within  the  newly- 
erected  ten-itory  of  Kansas,  and  sold  their  surplus  lands  to  the  U.  States  by  a  treaty 
concluded  at  Washington  in  ^L^y,  1854,  the  said  Parks  being  at  this  time  first  chief 
of  the  Shawnee  tribe. 

13 


194  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

catur,  Capt.  Burnham  (Perry's  boatswain  in  the  memorable  naval 
battle  of  Lake  Erie,  Sept.  11,  1813),  to  Michilimackinac,  together 
with  the  extra  baggage. 

Thus  relieved  in  numbers  and  canoe-hamper,  we  were  reduced 
to  two  canoes ;  the  travelling  family  of  Gov.  Cass  now  consisted 
of  Capt.  Douglass,  Dr.  "Wolcott,  Maj.  Forsyth,  Lieut.  Mackay,  and 
myself.  Leaving  Fort  Howard  at  two  o'clock  P.  M.,  we  parted 
with  Mr.  Trowbridge  and  his  party  at  the  mouth  of  Fox  River, 
at  half-past  two,  and  taking  the  other,  or  east  side  of  the  bay, 
proceeded  along  its  shores  about  twenty -five  miles,  and  encamped 
on  the  coast  called  Red  Banks.  This  is  a  term  translated  from 
the  Winnebago  name,  which  is  renowned  in  their  traditions  as 
the  earliest  spot  which  they  can  recollect.  They  dwelt  here  when 
the  French  first  reached  Green  Bay  in  their  discoveries  in  the 
seventeenth  century.  Here,  then,  is  a  test  of  the  value  and  con- 
tinuity of  Indian  tradition,  so  far  as  this  tribe  is  concerned,  for 
admitting,  what  is  doubtful,  that  the  French  reached  this  point 
so  early  as  1650,  the  period  of  recognized  Winnebago  history,  as 
proved  by  geography,  reaches  but  170  years  prior  to  the  above 
date. 

In  a  short  time  after  entering  the  bay,  we  were  overtaken  by 
Kewaygooshkum  and  his  party,  who  travelled  and  encamped  with 
us.  In  the  course  of  the  evening  he  pointed  out  a  rocky  island, 
at  three  or  four  miles  distance,  containing  a  large  cavern,  which 
has  been  used  by  the  Indians  from  early  times  as  a  repository  for 
the  dead.  The  chief,  as  he  pointed  to^it,  as  if  absorbed  in  a  spirit 
of  ancestral  reverence,  seemed  to  say : — 

"It  hath  a  charm  the  stranger  knoweth  not, 
It  is  the  [sepulchre]  of  mine  ancestry ; 
There  is  an  inspiration  in  its  shade, 
The  echoes  of  its  walls  are  eloquent, 
The  words  they  speak  are  of  the  glorious  dead ; 
Its  tenants  are  not  human — they  are  more  ! 
The  stones  have  voices,  and  the  walls  do  live; 
It  is  the  home  of  memories  dearly  honored 
By  many  a  trace  of  long  departed  glory." 

The  appearance  of  ancient  cultivation  of  this  coast  is  such  as 
to  give  semblance  to  the  Winnebago  tradition  of  its  having  been 
their  former  residence.     The  lands  are  fertile,  alluvion,  bearing 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  195 

a  secondary  growth  of  trees,  mingled  with  older  species  of  the  acer 
saccharinuni,  elm,  and  oak. 

The  next  day,  after  traversing  this  coast  twenty  miles  further, 
we  reached  and  passed  up  Sturgeon  Bay,  to  a  portage  path  lead- 
ing to  Lake  Michigan.  This  path  begins  in  low  grounds,  where 
several  of  the  swamp  species  of  plants  occur.  On  reaching  the 
open  shores  of  Lake  Michigan,  the  wind  was  found  strongly 
ahead,  and  we  were  compelled  to  encamp.  At  this  spot  we  found 
several  species  of  madreperes,  and  some  other  organic  forms, 
among  the  shore  debris.  The  next  day  the  wind  abated,  and, 
agreeably  to  the  estimate  of  Capt.  Douglass,  we  advanced  along 
the  shore,  southwardly,  forty-six  miles.  The  day  following,  we 
made  forty  miles,  and  reached  the  River  Manitowakie,*  and  en- 
camped on  the  lake  shore,  five  miles  south  of  it. 

In  passing  along  the  lake  shore  this  day  (25th),  we  observed  it 
to  be  strewed  abundantly  with  the  carcasses  of  dead  pigeons.  This 
bird,  we  were  told,  is  often  overcome  by  the  fatigue  of  long  flights, 
or  storms,  in  crossing  the  lake,  and  entire  flocks  drowned.  This 
causes  the  shores  to  be  visited  by  great  numbers  of  hawks,  eagles, 
and  other  birds  of  prey.  The  Indians  only  make  use  of  those 
carcasses  of  pigeons,  as  food,  when  they  are  first  cast  on  shore. 

The  next  day  the  expedition  passed  the  mouth  of  the  Sheboi- 
gan  River,  a  stream  originating  not  remotely  from  the  banks  of 
Winnebago  Lake,  with  which,  as  the  name  indicates,  there  is  a 
portage  or  passage  through.f     Pushing  forward  with  every  force 

*  From  Manila,  a  spirit,  auk,  a  standing  or  hollow  tree  that  is  under  a  myste- 
rious influence,  and  the  generic  inflection  ie,  which  is  applied  to  vital  or  animate 
nouns.  A  town,  at  present,  exists  at  the  spot  called  Mauitoowoc.  It  is  the  shire 
town  of  a  county  of  the  same  name  in  Wisconsin ;  it  has  a  good  harbor,  and  by  the 
census  of  1850  contains  four  churches,  twelve  stores,  two  steam  mills,  two  ship- 
yards, a  newspaper,  post-office,  and  2,500  inhabitants.  We  found  the  site  inhabited 
by  a  villnge  Monomonees  of  six  lodges. 

j-  Shebiau,  is  to  look  critically ;  shebiabunjegun,  a  spy-glass  or  instrument  to  look 
through.  Sheboigan  appears  to  have  its  termination  from  the  word  gan,  a  lake, 
and  the  combination  denotes  a  river,  or  water  pass  from  lake  to  lake.  This  place 
is  now  (1854)  a  town  and  county  site  of  Wisconsin.  The  county  was  organized  in 
1839,  and  by  the  last  census  has  seven  churches,  two  newspapers,  624  pupils  at 
schools,  and  a  population  of  8,o79.  The  town  of  this  name  contains  2,000  inhabi- 
tants. It  is  02  miles  N.  from  Milwaukie,  and  110  N.  E.  from  Madison,  the  State 
capital.  It  has  a  plank  road  of  40  miles  to  Fond  du  Lac,  and  is  noted  for  its  lumber 
trade. 


196  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

during  the  day,  we  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Milwaukie  River, 
and  encamped  on  the  beach  some  time  after  dark.  This  is  a 
large  and  important  river,  and  is  connected  by  an  Indian  portage 
with  the  Rock  River  of  the  Mississippi.  The  next  morning 
adverse  winds  confined  us  to  this  spot,  where  we  remained  a  con- 
siderable part  of  the  day,  which  enabled  us  to  explore  the  locality. 
We  found  it  to  be  the  site  of  a  Pottawattomie  village.  There 
were  two  American  families  located  at  that  place,  engaged  in  the 
Indian  trade. 

The  name  of  Milwaukie,*  exhibits  an  instance  of  which  there 
are  many  others,  in  which  the  French  have  substituted  the  sound 
of  the  letter  I  in  place  of  7i,  in  Indian  words.  J/m,  in  the  Algon- 
quin languages  signifies  good.  Wauhie^  is  a  derivative  from  auhi^ 
earth  or  land,  the  fertility  of  the  soil,  along  the  banks  of  that 
stream,  being  the  characteristic  trait  which  is  described  in  the  In- 
dian compound. 

When  the  wind  lulled  so  as  to  permit  embarkation,  we  pro- 
ceeded on  our  course.  At  the  computed  distance  of  five  miles,  we 
observed  a  bed  of  light-colored  tertiary  clay,  possessing  a  com- 
pactness, tenacity,  and  feel,  which  denote  its  utility  in  the  arts. 
This  bed,  after  a  break  of  many  miles  in  the  shores,  reappears  in 
thicker  and  more  massive  layers,  at  eight  or  ten  miles  distance. 
The  waves  dashing  against  this  elevated  bank  of  clay,t  have 
liberated  balls  and  crystallized  masses  of  sulphuret  of  iron. 

Some  of  the  more  recently  exposed  masses  of  this  mineral  are 
of  a  bright  brass  color.  The  tendency  of  their  crystallization  is 
to  restore  octahedral  and  cubical  forms.  We  advanced  along  this 
shore  about  thirty-five  miles,  encamping  on  an  eligible  part  of  the 
beach  before  dark.  I  found,  in  examining  the  mineralogy  of  the 
coast,  masses  of  detached  limestone,  containing  fissures  filled  with 
asphaltum.  On  breaking  these  masses,  and  laying  open  the  fis- 
sures, the  substance  assumed  the  form  of  naphtha.  We  observed 
among  the  plants  along  this  portion  of  coast,  the  tradescantia  vir- 

*  Milwaukie  is  the  principal  city  of  the  State  of  Wisconsin.  It  lies  in  latitude 
43°  3''  45^^  North.  It  is  ninety  miles  north  of  Chicago  and  seventy-five  east  from 
Madison.  It  contains  thirty  churches,  five  public  high  schools,  two  academies,  five 
orphan  asj-lums,  and  other  benevolent  institutions,  seven  daily  and  seven  weekly 
newspapers,  four  banks,  and,  by  the  census  of  1850,  20,161  inhabitants. 

I  An  admired  kind  of  cream-colored  bricks  are  manufactured  from  portions  of 
the  clay  found  near  Milwaukie. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  197 

ginica,  and  T.  liatris,  and  squarrosa  scariosa  *  Bj  scrutinizing  the 
wave-moved  pebble-drift  along  shore,  it  is  evident  that  inferior 
positions,  in  the  geological  basin  of  Lake  Michigan,  contain  slaty, 
or  bituminous  coal,  masses  of  which  were  developed. 

The  next  day's  journey,  28th,  carried  us  forty  miles,  in  whicb 
distance,  the  most  noticeable  fact  in  the  topography  of  the  coast, 
was  the  entrance  of  the  Racine,  orEoot  River ;t  its  eligible  shores 
being  occupied  by  some  Pottawattomie  lodges.  Having  reached 
within  ten  or  twelve  miles  of  Chicago,  and  being  anxious  to  make 
that  point,  we  were  in  motion  at  a  very  early  hour  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  29th,  and  reached  the  village  at  five  o'clock  A.  M. 
We  found  four  or  five  families  living  here,  the  principal  of  which 
were  those  of  Mr.  John  Kinzie,  Dr.  A.  Wolcott,  J.  B.  Bobian,  and 
Mr.  J.  Crafts,  the  latter  living  a  short  distance  up  the  river.  The 
Pottawattomies,  to  whom  this  site  is  the  capital  of  their  trade,  ap- 
peared to  be  lords  of  the  soil,  and  truly  are  entitled  to  the  epithet, 
if  laziness,  and  an  utter  inappreciation  of  the  value  of  time,  be  a 
test  of  lordliness.  Dr.  Wolcott,  being  the  U.  S.  Agent  for  this 
tribe,  found  himself  at  home  here,  and  constitutes  no  further,  a 
member  of  the  expedition.  Gov.  Cass  determined  to  return  to 
Detroit  from  this  point,  on  horseback,  across  the  peninsula  of 
Michigan,  accompanied  by  Lt.  Mackay,  U.  S.  A.,  Maj.  Forsyth, 
his  private  secretary,  and  the  necessary  number  of  men  and  pack 
horses  to  prepare  their  night  encampments.  This  left  Capt. 
Douglass  and  myself  to  continue  the  survey  of  the  Lakes,  and 
after  reaching  Michilimackinac  and  rejoining  the  party  of  Mr. 
Trowbridge,  to  return  to  Detroit  from  that  point. 

The  preparation  for  these  ends  occupied  a  couple  of  days,  which 
gave  us  an  opportunity  to  scan  the  vicinity.  We  found  the  post 
(Fort  Dearborn)  under  the  command  of  Capt.  Bradley,  with  a 
force  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  men.  The  river  is  ample  and 
deep  for  a  few  miles,  but  is  utterly  choked  up  by  the  lake  sands, 
through  which,  behind  a  masked  margin,  it  oozes  its  way  for  a 

*  Dr.  J.  Torrey,  Am.  Joiirn.  Science,  vol.  4.  p.  56. 

I  R.^ciSE. — This  is  now  the  second  city  in  size  in  the  State  of  Wisconsin.  By 
the  census  of  1850,  its  population  is  5,110.  It  has  a  harbor  which  admits  vessels 
drawing  twelve  feet  water;  it  has  fourteen  churches,  a  high  school,  college,  bank, 
several  newspapers,  three  ship-ynrds,  and  exhibits  more  than  two  millions  of  im- 
ports and  exports.     The  settlement  was  commenced  iu  1835. 


198  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

mile  or  two,  till  it  percolates  through  the  sands  into  the  lake.  Its 
banks  consist  of  a  black  arenaceous  fertile  soil,  which  is  stated  to 
produce  abundantly,  in  its  season,  the  wild  species  of  cepa,  or  leek. 
This  circumstance  has  led  the  natives  to  name  it  the  place  of  the 
wild  leek.  Such  is  the  origin  of  the  term  Chicago,*  which  is  a 
derivative,  by  elision  and  French  annotation,  from  the  word  Chi- 
kaug-ong.  Kang^  is  the  Algonquin  name  for  the  hystrix,  or  por- 
cupine. It  takes  the  prefix  Chi^  when  applied  to  the  mustela 
putorius.  The  particle  Chi^  is  the  common  prefix  of  nouns  to  de- 
note greatness  in  any  natural  object,  but  it  is  also  employed,  as 
here,  to  mean  increase,  or  excess,  as  acridness,  or  pungency,  in 
quality.  The  penultimate  ong^  denotes  locality.  The  putorius 
is  so  named  from  this  plant,  and  not,  as  has  been  thought,  the 
plant  from  it.  I  took  the  sketch,  which  is  reproduced  in  the 
fourth  vol.  of  my  Ethnological  Researches^  Plate  xxvii.,  from  a  stand- 
point on  the  flat  of  sand  which  stretched  in  front  of  the  place. 
This  view  embraces  every  house  in  the  village,  with  the  fort;  and 
if  the  reproduction  of  the  artist  in  vol.  iv.  may  be  subjected  to 
any  criticism,  it  is,  perhaps,  that  the  stockade  bears  too  great  a 
proportion  to  the  scene,  while  the  precipice  observed  in  the  shore 
line  of  sand,  is  wholly  wanting  in  the  original. 

The  country  around  Chicago  is  the  most  fertile  and  beautiful 
that  can  be  imagined.  It  consists  of  an  intermixture  of  woods 
and  prairies,  diversified  with  gentle  slopes,  sometimes  attaining 
the  elevation  of  hills,  and  it  is  irrigated  with  a  number  of  clear 
streams  and  rivers,  which  throw  their  waters  partly  into  Lake 
Michigan,  and  partly  into  the  Mississippi  Eiver.  As  a  farming 
country,  it  presents  the  greatest  facilities  for  raising  stock  and 

*  Chicago  is  the  largest  city  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  excelling  all  others  in  its 
commercial  and  business  capacities,  and  public  and  moral  influences.  Standing  on 
the  borders  of  the  great  western  prairies,  it  is  the  great  city  of  the  plains,  and  its 
growth  cannot  be  limited,  or  can  scarcely  be  estimated.  It  began  to  be  built  about 
]  831,  eleven  years  after  this  visit.  It  was  incorporated  as  a  city  in  1836,  with  4,853 
inhabitants.  In  1850,  it  had  29,963,  and  it  is  now  estimated  to  exceed  60,000.  This 
city  lies  in  lat.  41°  52'  20'-'.  It  is  connected  by  lakes,  canals,  and  railroads,  with 
the  most  distant  regions.  Its  imports  and  exports  the  last  year,  were  twenty  mil- 
lions. Like  all  the  cities  and  towns  of  America,  its  political  and  moral  influence, 
are  seen  to  keep  an  exact  pace  with  its  sound  religious  influences;  the  number  of 
churches  and  newspapers,  having  a  certain  fixed  relation.  More  than  any  other 
city  of  the  West,  its  position  destines  it  to  be  another  Nineveh. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  199 

grains,  and  it  is  one  of  the  most  favored  parts  of  the  Mississippi 
Valley;  the  climate  has  a  delightful  serenity,  and  it  must,  as  soon 
as  the  Indian  title  is  extinguished,*  become  one  of  the  most  attrac- 
tive fields  for  the  emigrant.  To  the  ordinary  advantages  of  an 
agricultural  market  town,  it  must  add  that  of  being  a  depot  for 
the  commerce  between  the  northern  and  southern  sections  of  the' 
Union,  and  a  great  thoroughfare  for  strangers,  merchants,  and 
travellers. 

The  Milwaukie  clays  to  which  I  have  adverted,  do  not  extend 
thus  far,  although  the  argillaceous  deposits  found,  appear  to  be 
destitute  of  the  oxide  of  iron,  for  the  bricks  produced  from  them 
burn  white.  There  is  a  locality  of  bituminous  coal  on  Fox  River, 
about  forty  miles  south.  Near  the  junction  of  the  Desplaines 
River  with  the  Kankakee,  there  exists  in  the  semi-crystalline  or 
sedimentary  limestone,  a  remarkable  fossil-tree.f  ' 

•  This  was  done  in  1821 ;  having  been,  myself,  secretary  to  the  Commissioners, 
Gov.  Cass  and  Hon.  Sol.  Sibley,  who  were  appointed  to  treat  with  the  Indians.  Vide 
Indian  Treaties,  p.  297. 

f  Fossil  Flora  or  the  West. — Of  this  gigantic  specimen  of  the  geological  flora 
of  the  newer  rocks  of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  I  published  a  memoir  in  1822,  founded 
on  a  personal  examination  of  the  phenomena.  Albany,  E.  and  E.  Hosford,  24  pp. 
8vo.  This  paper  ( Vide  Appendix)  was  prepared  for  the  American  Geological 
Society,  at  New  Haven.  See  American  Journ.  Science,  vol.  4,  p.  285;  See  also,  vol. 
5,  p.  23,  for  appreciating  testimony  of  the  value  of  geological  science  (then  coming 
into  notice),  from  Ex-Presidents  John  Adams,  Thomas  Jefferson,  and  James  Madi- 
son, to  whom  copies  of  it  were  transmitted. 


200  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

South  and  Eastern  borders  of  Lake  Michigan — Their  Flora  and  Fauna — Incidents 
of  the  journey — Topography — Geology,  Botany,  and  Mineralogy — Indian  Tribes 
— Burial-place  of  Marquette — Ruins  of  the  post  of  old  Mackinac — Reach  Michi- 
limackinac  after  a  canoe  journey  north  of  four  hundred  miles. 

It  was  now  tlie  last  day  of  August,  Having  partaken  of  the 
hospitalities  of  Mr.  Kinzie,  and  of  Captains  Bradley  and  Green,  of 
Fort  Dearborn,  during  our  stay  at  Chicago,  and  completed  the 
reorganization  of  our  parties,  we  separated  on  the  last  day  of  the 
mouth,  at  two  o'clock  P.  M.;  Gov.  Cass  and  his  party,  on  horse- 
back, taking  the  old  Indian  trail  to  Detroit,  and  Capt.  Douglass 
and  myself  being  left,  with  two  canoes,  to  complete  the  circum- 
navigation of  the  lakes.  We  did  not  delay  our  departure  over 
thirty  minutes,  but  bidding  adieu  to  Dr.  Wolcott,  whose  manners, 
judgment,  and  intelligence  had  commanded  our  respect  during 
the  journey,  embarked  with  two  canoes  ;  our  steersmen  imme- 
diately hoisted  their  square  sails,  and,  favored  by  a  good  breeze, 
we  proceeded  twenty  miles  along  the  southern  curve,  at  the  head 
of  Lake  Michigan,  and  encamped. 

Within  two  miles  of  Chicago,  we  passed,  on  the  open  shores 
of  the  lake,  the  scene  of  the  massacre  of  Chicago,  of  the  15th  of 
August,  1812,  being  the  day  after  the  surrender  of  Detroit  by 
Gen.  Hull.  Gloom  hung,  at  that  eventful  period,  over  every 
part  of  our  western  borders.  Michilimackinac  had  already  been 
carried  by  surprise ;  and  the  ill-advised  order  to  evacuate  Chi- 
cago, was  deemed  by  the  Indians  an  admission  that  the  Americans 
were  to  be  driven  from  the  country.  The  Pottawattomies  deter- 
mined to  show  the  power  of  their  hostility  on  this  occasion. 
Capt.  Ileald,  the  commanding  officer,  having  received  Gen.  Hull's 
order  to  abandon  the  post,  and  having  an  escort  of  thirty  friendly 
Miamis,  from  Fort  Wayne,  under  Captain  Wells,  had  quitted  the 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION,  201 

fort  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  witli  fifty-four  regulars,  a 
subaltern,  physician,  twelve  militia,  and  the  necessary  baggage 
wagons  for  the  provisions  and  ammunition,  which  contained  eigh- 
teen soldiers,  Avomen  and  children.  They  had  not  proceeded  more 
than  a  mile  and  a  half  along  the  shore  of  the  lake,  when  an  am- 
buscade of  Indians  was  discovered  behind  the  sand-hills  which 
encompass  the  flat  sandy  shore.  The  horrid  yell,  which  rose  on 
the  discovery  being  made,  was  accompanied  by  a  general  and 
deadly  fire  from  them.  Several  men  fell  at  the  first  fire,  but  Capt* 
Heald  formed  his  men,  and  effected  a  charge  up  the  bank,  which 
dispersed  his  assailants.  It  was  only,  however,  to  find  the  enemy 
return  by  a  Hank  movement,  in  which  their  numbers  gave  them  the 
victory.  In  a  few  moments,  out  of  his  effective  force  of  sixty-six 
men,  but  sixteen  survived.  With  these,  he  succeeded  in  drawing 
off  to  a  position  in  the  prairie,  where  he  was  not  followed  by  the 
Indians,  On  a  negotiation,  opened  by  a  chief  called  Mukudape- 
nais,  he  surrendered,  under  promise  of  security  for  their  lives. 
This  promise  was  afterwards  violated,  with  the  exception  of  him- 
self and  three  or  four  men.  Among  the  slain  was  Ensign  Eonan, 
Dr.  Voorhis,  and  Capt.  Wells.  The  latter  had  his  heart  cut  out, 
and  his  body  received  other  shocking  indignities.  The  saddest 
part  of  the  tragedy  was  the  attack  on  the  women  and  children 
w^ho  occupied  the  baggage  wagons,  and  were  all  slain.  Several 
of  the  women  fought  with  swords.  During  the  action,  a  sergeant 
of  infantry  ran  his  bayonet  through  the  heart  of  an  Indian  who 
had  lifted  his  tomahawk  to  strike  him ;  not  being  able  to  with- 
draw the  instrument,  it  served  to  hold  up  the  Indian,  who  actu- 
ally' tomahawked  him  in  this  position,  and  both  fell  dead  toge- 
ther.* The  Miamis  remained  neuter  in  this  massacre.  Mr. 
Kinzie,  of  Chicago,  of  wdiose  hospitalities  we  had  partaken,  was  a 
witness  of  this  transaction,  and  furnished  the  principal  facts  of 
this  narrative. 

The  morning  (Sept.  1)  opened  with  a  perfect  gale,  and  we  were 
degrad>^  to  use  a  Canadian  term,  all  day;  the  waves  dashed  against 
the  shore  with  a  violence  that  made  it  impossible  to  take  the  lake 
with  canoes,  and  would  have  rendered  it  perilous  even  to  a  large 

*  Gouverneur  Morris  recites  a  similar  inciJeut  at  the  battle  of  Oriskany,  in  1777. 
— Coll.  New  York  Ifist.  Sac. 


202  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

vessel.  This  violence  continued,  witli  no  perceptible  diminution, 
during  tlie  day.  As  a  mode  of  relief  from  the  tedium  of  delay, 
a  short  excursion  was  made  into  the  prairie.  I  found  a  few  spe- 
cies of  the  unio,  in  a  partially  choked  up  branch  of  the  Konamek. 
Capt.  Douglass  improved  the  time  by  taking  observations  for  the 
latitude,  and  we  footed  around  ten  miles  of  the  extreme  southern 
head  of  the  lake.  It  is  edged  with  sand-hills,  bearing  pines.  A 
few  dead  valves  of  the  fresh- water  muscle  were  found  on  the  shore. 

On  the  following  day  the  wind  lulled,  when  we  proceeded  fifty- 
four  miles,  passing  in  the  distance  the  remains  of  the  schooner 
Hercules,  which  went  ashore  in  a  gale,  in  November,  1816,  and 
all  on  board  perished ;  her  mast,  pump,  spars,  and  the  graves  of 
the  passengers,  among  which,  was  that  of  Lieut.  W.  S.  Eveleth, 
U.S.  A.,  were  pointed  out  to  us.  "We  landed  a  few  moments  at 
the  entrance  of  the  River  du  Chemin,*  where  the  trail  to  Detroit 
leaves  the  lake  shore.  The  distance  to  that  city  is  estimated  at 
three  hundred  miles.  Ten  miles  beyond  this  spot  we  passed  the 
little  River  Galieu,  where,  at  this  time,  the  town  and  harbor  of 
New  Buffalo,  of  Michigan,  is  situated,  and  we  encamped  on  the 
shore  twelve  miles  beyond  it. 

We  had  been  travelling  on  a  slightly  curved  line  from  Chicago 
to  the  spot,  in  the  latitude  of  41°  52'  20",  and  had  now  reached 
a  point  where  the  course  tends  more  directly  to  the  northeast  and 
north.  By  the  best  accounts,  the  length  of  Lake  Michigan,  lying 
directly  from  south  to  north,  is  four  hundred  miles.  There  is  no 
other  lake  in  America,  north  or  south,  which  traverses  so  many 
degrees  of  latitude,  a*nd  we  had  reason  to  expect  its  flora  and 
fauna  to  denote  some  striking  changes.  We  had  passed  down 
,  its  west,  or  Wisconsin  shore,  from  Stiirgeon  Bay,  finding  it  to 
present  a  clear  margin  of  forest,  with  many  good  harbors,  and  a 
fertile,  gently  undulating  surface.  But  we  were  now  to  encounter 
another  cast  of  scenery.  It  is  manifest,  from  a  survey  of  the 
eastern  shore  of  this  lake,  that  the  prevalent  winds  are  from  the 
w^est  and  northwest,  for  they  have  cast  up  vast  sand  dunes  along 
the  coast,  which  give  it  an  arid  appearance.     These  dunes  are, 

*  Michigan  City,  of  the  State  of  Indiana,  is  located  near  this  spot.  This  city  has 
its  harbor  communicating  with  Lake  Michigan  through  this  creek.  It  has  a  news- 
paper, branch  bank,  railroad,  and  (in  1853J  2,353  inhabitants. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  205 

however,  but  a  hem  on  the  fertile  prairie  lands,  not  extending 
more  than  half  a  mile  or  more,  and  thus  masking  the  fertile  lands. 
Water,  in  the  shape  of  lagoons,  is  often  accumulated  behind  these 
sand-banks,  and  the  force  of  the  winds  is  such  as  to  choke  and 
sometimes  entirely  shut  up  the  mouth  of  its  rivers.     We  had 
found  this   hem  of  sand-hills   extending  around    the   southern 
shore  of  the  lake  from  the  vicinity  of  Chicago,  and  soon  found 
that  it  gave  an  appearance  of  sterility  to  the  country  that  it  by  no 
means  merited.    On  reaching  the  mouth  of  St,  Joseph's  Kiver  (8d), 
a  full  exemplification  of  this  striking  effect  of  the  lake  action  was 
exhibited.     This  is  one  of  the  largest  rivers  of  the  peninsula,  run- 
ning for  more  than  a  hundred  and  twentv  miles  through  a  succes- 
.  .  .  .  .  .  "  ,        »    . 

sion  of  rich  plains  and  prairies ;  yet  its  mouth,  which  carries  a  large 

volume  of  water  into  the  lake,  is  rendered  difficult  of  entrance  to 
vessels,  and  its  lake-borders  are  loaded  with  drifts  of  shifting  sand. 

The  next  day's  journey  carried  us  fifty  miles;  and,  on  proceed- 
ing ten  miles  further  on  the  4th,  we  reached  the  mouth  of  the 
Kalamazoo,*  Before  reaching  this  river,  I  discovered  on  the 
beach  a  body  of  detached  orbicular  masses  of  the  calcareous  marl 
called  septa ri a — the  Indus  helmontii  of  the  old  mineralogists.  On 
breaking  some  of  these  masses,  they  disclosed  small  crystalline 
seams  of  sulphuret  of  zinc.  The  Kalamazoo  irrigates  a  fine  tract 
of  the  most  fertile  and  beautiful  prairies  of  Michigan,  which,  at  the 
date  of  the  revision  of  this  journal,  is  studded  with  flourishing 
towns  and  villages. 

Fifteen  miles  further  progress  towards  the  north,  brought  us  to 
the  mouth  of  Grand  River — the  Washtenong  of  the  Indians — 
which  is,  I  believe  the  largest  and  longest  stream  of  the  Michigan 
peninsula.  It  is  the  boundary  between  the  hunting-grounds  of 
the  Potto wattomies  (who  have  thus  far  claimed  jurisdiction  from 
Chicago)  and  the  Ottowas.  The  latter  live  in  large  numbers  at 
its  rapids  and  on  its  various  tributaries,!     The  next  stream  of 

*  Kalamazoo.  This  word  is  the  contraction  of  an  Indian  phrase  descriptive  of 
the  stones  seen  through  the  water  in  its  bed,  which,  from  a  refractive  power  in  the 
current,  resembles  an  otter  swimming  under  water.  Hence  the  original  term, 
Negikanamazoo.  This  term  has  its  root  forms  in  negik,  an  otter,  the  verb  kana,  to 
hide,  and  ozoo,  a  quadruped's  tail.  The  letter  /  is  the  mere  transposition  of  /  in 
native  words  passing  from  the  Indian  to  the  Indo-French  language. 

f  Ottowas.  So  late  as  1841,  the  number  of  the  tribe,  reported  to  the  Superin- 
tendent of  Indian  Affairs  for  Michigan,  was  1,391,  which  was  divided  into  13  villages, 


204 


NAERATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 


note  we  encountered  was  the  Maskigon,  twelve  miles  north  of 
Grand  River,  where  we  encamped,  having  travelled,  during  the 
day,  fifty -four  miles.  The  view  of  this  scene  was  impressive  from 
its  bleakness,  the  dunes  of  sand  being  more  at  the  mercy  of  the 
winds.  I  found  here  a  large,  branching  specimen  of  the  club- 
fungus,  attached  to  a  dead  specimen  of  the  populus  tremuloides, 
which  had  been  completely  penetrated  by  these  drifting  sands,  so 
as  to  present  quite  the  appearance,  and  no  little  part  of  the  hard- 
ness and  consistency,  of  a  fossil.  The  following  figure  of  this 
transformation  from  a  fungus  to  a  serai-stony  body,  presents  a 
perfect  outline  of  it  as  sketched  in  its  original  position. 


On  the  day  of  our  departure  from  the  Maskigon,  we  enjoyed 
fine  weather  and  favorable  winds,  and  proceeded,  from  the  data 
of  Captain  Douglass,  seventy  miles,  and  encamped  a  few  miles 
beyond  the  Sandy  River.  In  this  line  of  coast,  we  passed,  succes- 
sively, the  White,  Pentwater,  and  Marquette.  Of  these,  the  latter, 
both  from  its  size  and  its  historical  associations,  is  by  far  the  most 

scattered  over  its  whole  xaWey.— Schooler  aft' s  Bfport  on  Indian  Affairs,  Detroit,  A.  S. 
Cagg,' 18-10. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  205 

important;  for  it  was  at  this  spot,  after  having  spent  years  of 
devotion  in  the  cause  of  missions  in  New  France — in  the  course 
of  which  he  discovered  the  Mississippi  River — that  this  zealous 
servant  of  God  laid  down  in  his  tent,  after  a  hard  day's  travel, 
and  surrendered  up  his  life.  The  event  occurred  on  the  8th  of 
!May,  1675,  but  two  years  after  his  grand  discovery.  Marquette 
was  a  native  of  Laon,  in  Picardy,  where  his  family  was  of  dis- 
tinguished rank.  The  precise  moment  of  his  death  was  not  wit- 
nessed, his  men  having  retired  to  leave  him  to  his  devotions,  but 
returning,  in  a  short  time,  found  him  lifeless.  They  carried  his 
body  to  the  mission  of  old  Michilimackinac,  of  which  he  was  the 
founder,  where  it  was  interred.* 

It  rained  the  next  morning  (6th),  by  which  we  lost  two  hours, 
and  we  had  some  unfavorable  winds,  but,  by  dint  of  hard  pushing, 
we  made  forty-five  miles,  and  slept  at  Gravelly  Point.  In  this  line 
we  passed  successively,  at  distances  of  seventeen  and  thirty  miles, 
the  rivers  Manistic  and  Becsie,  which  is  the  Canadian  phrase  for 
the  anas  canadensis.  Clouds  and  murky  weather  still  hovered 
around  us  on  the  next  morning,  but  we  left  our  encampment  at 
an  early  hour.  Thirteen  miles  brought  us  to  the  Omicomico,  or 
Plate  River,  nine  miles  be3^ond  which  found  us  in  front  of  a  re- 
markable and  very  elevated  sand  dune,  called  the  Sleeping  Bear — 
a  fanciful  term,  derived  from  the  Indian,  through  the  French 
Vours  qui  dormis.  Opposite  this  feature  in  the  coast  geology,  lie 
the  two  large  wooded  islands  called  the  Minitos — well-known 
objects  to  all  mariners  who  venture  into  the  vast  unsheltered 
basin  of  the  southern  body  of  Lake  Michigan.  Thirty  miles  beyond 
this  sandy  elevation,  brought  us  to  the  southern  cape  of  Grand  Tra- 
verse Bay,  where  we  encamped,  having  advanced  fifty-two  miles. 
This  was  the  first  place  where  we  had  noticed  rocks  in  situ, 
since  passing  the  little  Konamic  River,  near  Chicago.  It  proved 
to  be  limestone,  of  the  same  apparent  era  of  the  calcareous  rock 

*  Place  of  Interment  of  Marquette.  It  is  known  that  the  mission  of  Michili- 
mackinac fell  on  the  downfall  of  the  Jesuits.  When  the  post  of  Michilimackinac 
was  removed  from  the  peninsula  to  the  island,  about  1780,  the  bones  of  the  mis- 
sionary were  transferred  to  the  old  Catholic  burial-ground,  in  the  village  on  the 
island.  There  they  remained  till  a  land  or  property  question  arose  to  agitate  the 
church,  and,  when  the  crisis  happened,  the  whole  graveyard  was  disturbed,  and  hia 
bones,  with  others,  were  transferred  to  the  Indian  village  of  La  Crosse,  which  is  in 
the  vicinity  of  L'Arbre  Croche,  Michigan. 


206 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 


which  we  had  observed  at  Sturgeon  Bay  and  the  contiguous  west 
shore  of  Lake  Michigan.  The  line  of  lake  coast  included  in  this 
remark  is  three  hundred  and  twenty  miles;  during  all  which  dis- 
tance the  coast  seems,  but  only  seems,  to  be  the  sport  of  the  fierce 
gales  and  storms,  for  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  the  forma- 
tions of  drift  clay,  sand,  and  gravel  rest,  at  various  depths,  on  a 
stratification  of  solid,  permanent  rock.  To  us,  however,  it  proved 
a  barren  field  for  the  collection  of  both  geological  and  mineralo- 
gical  specimens.  There  were  gleaned  some  rolled  specimens  of 
organic  remains,  of  no  further  use  than  to  denote  the  occurrence 
of  these  in  some  part  of  a  vast  basin.  There  was  a  specimen  of 
gypsum  from  Grand  Eiver.  The  few  patches  of  iron  sand  I  had 
noticed,  were  hardly  worthy  of  record  after  the  heavy  beds  of 
this  mineral  which  we  had  passed  in  Lake  Superior.  The  same 
remark  may  be  made  of  the  few  rolled  fragments  of  calcedonies, 
and  other  varieties  of  the  quartz  family,  gleaned  up  along  its 
shores,  for  neither  of  these  constitute  a  reliable  locality. 

Of  the  florte  and  fauna  we  had  been  observant,  but  the  sandy 
character  of  the  mere  coast  line  greatly  narrowed  the  former,  in 
which  Captain  Douglass  found  but  little  to  preserve,  beyond  the 


Petrified  leaf  of  the  Fa>jus  Ferrugima. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  207 

parnassia  caroliniana  and  seottia  cerna  *  The  fury  of  the  waves 
renders  it  a  region  wholly  unfitted  to  the  whole  tribe  of  fresh- 
water shells.  A  petrifaction  of  the  fagus  ferruginia,  brought  from 
a  spring  on  the  banks  of  the  St.  Joseph's  River  by  Gov.  Cass,  on 
his  home  route,  on  horseback,  presented  the  petrifying  process  in 
one  of  its  most  perfect  forms  {vide  p.  206).  Surfeited  with  a  species 
of  scenery  in  which  the  naked  sand  dunes  were  often  painful  to 
the  eye,  from  their  ophthalmic  influence,  and  of  geological  pros- 
trations which  seemed  to  lay  the  coast  in  ruins,  we  were  glad 
to  reach  the  solid  rock  formations,  supporting,  as  they  did,  a  soil 
favorable  to  green  forests. 

A  partial  eclipse  of  the  sun  had  been  calculated  for  the  5th  of 
September  (1820),  to  commence  at  seven  o'clock,  twenty  minutes; 
but,  though  we  were  on  the  lake,  and  anxious  to  note  it,  the 
weather  proved  to  be  too  much  overcast,  and  no  effects  of  it  were 
observed.  This  eclipse  was  observed,  according  to  the  predic- 
tions, at  Philadelphia. 

The  morning  of  the  8th  proved  calm,  which  permitted  us  to 
cross  the  mouth  of  Grand  Traverse  Bay.  This  piece  of  water  is 
nine  miles  across,  with  an  unexplored  depth,  and  has  some  300 
Chippewas  living  on  its  borders.  Six  miles  north  of  this  point, 
we  reached  and  crossed  Little  Traverse  Bay,  which  is  occupied 
by  Ottawas.  These  two  tribes  are  close  confederates,  speak  dia- 
lects of  the  same  language  which  is  readily  understood  by  both, 
and  live  on  the  most  friendly  terms.  The  Ottowas  on  the  head 
of  Little  Traverse  Bay,  and  on  the  adjoining  coast  of  Lake  Michi- 
gan— which,  from  its  principal  village,  bears  the  names  of  Village 
of  the  Cross,  and  of  Waganukizzie,t  or  L'Arbre  Croche — are,  to  a 
great  extent,  cultivators  of  the  soil,  and  have  adopted  the  use  of 
hats,  and  the  French  copot^  having  laid  aside  paints  and  feathers. 
They  raise  large  quantities  of  Indian  corn  for  the  Mackinac  mar- 
ket, and  manufacture,  in  the  season,  from  the  sap  of  the  acer  sac- 
charinum,  considerable  quantities  of  maple  sugar,  which  is  put 
up,  in  somewhat  elongated  bark  boxes,  called  muckucks,  in  which 
it  is  carried  to  the  same  market.  We  found  them,  wherever  they 
were  encountered,  a  people  of  friendly  manners  and  comity. 

*  Dr.  John  Torrey,  Am.  Journ.  Science,  vol.  iv. 

f  From  Wayanuk,  a  crooked  or  croched  tree,  and  izzie,  an  animate  termination, 
denoting  existence  or  being,  carrying  the  idea  of  its  being  charmed  or  enchanted. 


208  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

We  were  now  drawing  toward  the  foot  of  Lake  Michigan,  at 
the  point  where  this  inland  sea  is  connected,  through  the  Straits 
of  Michilimackinac,  with  Lake  Huron.  A  cluster  of  islands, 
called  the  Beaver  Islands,  had  been  in  sight  on  our  left  hand, 
since  passing  the  coast  of  the  Sleeping  Bear,  which  are  noted 
as  affording  good  anchorage  ground  to  vessels  navigating  the 
lake.  Tt  is  twenty-five  miles  from  the  site  of  the  old  French  mis- 
sion, near  L'Arbre  Croche,  to  the  end  of  point  Wagoshance,* 
which  is  the  southeast  cape  of  the  Straits  of  Michilimackinac, 
and  nine  miles  from  thence  to  the  Island.  Along  the  bleak  coast 
of  this  storm-beaten,  horizontal  limestone  rock,  with  a  thin  cover- 
ing of  drift,  we  diligently  passed.  ISIight  overtook  us  as  we  came 
through  the  straits,  hugging  their  eastern  shore,  and  we  encamped 
on  a  little  circular  open  bay,  long  after  it  became  pitchy  dark. 
"We  had  traversed  a  coast  line  of  fifty-seven  miles,  and  were  glad, 
after  a  refreshing  cup  of  tea  and  our  usual  meal,  to  retire  to  our 
pallets. 

The  next  morning  revealed  our  position.  We  were  at  the 
ancient  site  of  old  Michilimackinac — a  spot  celebrated  in  the  early 
missionary  annals  and  history  of  New  France.  This  was,  indeed, 
one  of  the  first  points  settled  by  the  French  after  Cadaracqui, 
being  a  missionary  and  trading  station  before  the  foundation  of 
Fort  Niagara,  in  1678 ;  for  La  Salle,  after  determining  on  the  lat- 
ter, proceeded,  the  same  fall,  up  the  lakes  to  this  point,  which  he 
installed  with  a  military  element.  The  mission  of  St.  Ignace 
had  before  been  attempted  on  the  north  shore  of  the  straits,  but 
it  was  finally  removed  here  by  the  advice  of  Marquette.  On 
gazing  at  the  straits,  tbey  were  found  to  be  agitated  by  a  perfect 
gale.  This  gave  time  for  examining  the  vicinity.  It  was  found 
a  deserted  plain,  overspread  with  sand,  in  many  parts,  with  the 
ruins  of  former  occupancy  piercing  through  these  sandy  drifts, 
which  gave  it  an  air  of  perfect  desolation.  By  far  the  most  con- 
spicuous among  these  ruins,  was  the  stone  foundation  of  the 
ancient  fort,  and  the  excavations  of  the  exterior  buildings,  which 
had  evidently  composed  a  part  of  the  military  or  missionary  plan. 
Not  a  house,  not  a  cultivated  field,  not  a  fence  was  to  be  seen. 
The  remains  of  broken  pottery,  and  pieces  of  black  bottles,  irri- 

*  Little  Fox  Point.  This  word  comes  from  Wagoush,  a  fox,  and  the  denomina- 
tive inflection  a  ainc  or  aius. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  209 

descent  from  age,  served  impressively  to  sliow  that  men  had  once 
eaten  and  drank  here.  It  was  in  1763,  in  the  outbreak  of  the 
Pontiac  war,  that  this  fort,  then  recentlv  surrendered  to  the  Eni;- 
lish,  was  captured,  by  a  coup-de-maiy\,  by  the  Indians.  The  Eng- 
lish, probably  doubting  its  safety,  during  the  American  Kevolution, 
removed  the  garrison  to  the  island,  which  had,  indeed,  furnished 
the  name  of  Michilimackinac  before;  for  the  Indians  had,  ah  initio^ 
called  the  old  post  Peekwutinong,  or  Headland-place,  applying 
the  other  name  exclusively,  as  at  this  day,  to  the  Gibraltar-like 
island  which  rises  up,  with  its  picturesque  cliffs,  from  the  very 
depths  of  Lake  Huron.  The  sketch  of  this  scene  of  desolation, 
with  the  Island  in  view,  is  given  in  the  second  volume  of  my 
Elhnohgical  Researches^  Plate  LIII. 

After  pacing  the  plain  of  this  ancient  point  of  French  settle- 
ment in  every  point,  we  returned  to  our  tent  about  eleven  o'clock 
A.  M.,  and  deemed  it  practicable  to  attempt  the  crossing  to  the  island 
in  a  light  canoe,  for,  although  the  gale  was  little  if  any  abated, 
the  wind  blew  fair.  I  concurred  in  the  opinion  of  Captain  Doug- 
lass that  this  might  be  done,  and  very  readily  assented  to  try  it, 
leaving  the  men  in  the  baggage  canoe  to  effect  the  passage  when 
the  wind  fell.  It  cannot  be  asserted  that  this  passage  was  with- 
out hazard;  for  my  own  part,  I  had  too  much  trust  in  my  nature 
to  fear  it,  and,  if  we  were  ever  wafted  on  "the  wings  of  the  wind," 
it  was  on  this  occasion ;  our  boatmen,  volunteers  for  the  occasion, 
reefing  the  sails  to  two  feet,  and  we  owed  our  success  mainly  to 
their  good  management.  On  rounding  the  Ottowa  point,  which 
is  the  south  cape  of  the  little  harbor  of  'Mackinac,  our  friends 
who  had  parted  from  us  at  Green  Bay  were  among  the  first  to 
greet  us.  By  the  union  of  these  two  parties,  the  circumnaviga- 
tion of  Lake  Michigan  had  been  completely  made.  The  rate  of 
travel  along  the  line  traversed  by  them  was  computed  at  forty- 
five  miles  per  day.  They  had  been  eight  days  on  the  route.  The 
coast  line  traversed  by  Captain  Douglass  and  myself,  since  quitting 
Chicago,  is  four  hundred  and  thirty-nine  miles,  giving  a  mean  of 
forty-three  miles  per  diem,  of  which  one  entire  day  was  lost  by 
head  winds. 


U 


210  NAKRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

Topogrftphical  survey  of  the  northern  shores  of  Green  Bay  and  of  the  entire  basin  of 
Lake  Michigan — Geological  and  Mineralogical  indicia  of  the  coast  line — Era  of 
sailing  vessels  and  of  the  steamboat  on  the  lakes — Route  along  the  Hxivon  coast, 
and  return  of  the  expedition  to  Detroit. 

The  coast  line  traversed  by  the  party  detached  from  Green 
Bay  on  the  22d  of  August,  under  Mr.  Trowbridge,  extended  from 
the  north  shore  of  Fox  River  to  the  entrance  of  the  Monominee 
River,  and  thence  around  the  Little  and  Great  Bay  de  Nocquet, 
to  the  northwestern  cape  of  the  entrance  of  Green  Bay.  From 
the  latter  point,  the  northern  shore  of  Lake  Michigan  was  traced 
by  the  Manistic,  and  the  other  smaller  rivers  of  that  coast,  to  the 
northern  cape  of  the  Straits  of  Michilimackinac,  and  through 
these  to  Point  St.  Ignace  and  the  Island  of  Michilimackinac.  The 
line  of  survey,  agreeably  to  their  reckoning,  embraced  two  hun- 
dred and  eighty  miles,  thus  closing  the  topographical  survey  of 
the  entire  coast  line  of  the  basin  of  Lake  Michigan,  and  placing 
in  the  hands  of  Captain  Douglass  the  notes  and  materials  for  a 
perfect  map  of  the  lake.* 

Mr.  Trowbridge,  whom  I  had  requested  to  note  the  features  of 
its  geology  and  mineralogy,  presented  me  with  labelled  specimens 
of  the  succession  of  strata  which  he  had  collected  on  the  route. 
These  denoted  the  continuance  of  the  calcareous,  horizontal  series 

*  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  Capt.  Douglass,  who,  immediately  on  the  conclusion 
of  this  expedition,  was  appointed  to  an  important  and  arduous  professorship  in  the 
U.  S.  Military  Academy  of  West  Point,  could  not  command  the  leisure  to  complete 
and  publish  his  map  and  topographical  memoir  of  this  part  of  the  U.  S.  So  long 
as  there  was  a  hope  of  this,  my  report  of  its  geology,  &c.,  and  other  data  intended 
for  the  joint  pdblic  wokk,  were  withheld.  But  in  revising  this  narrative,  at  this 
time,  they  are  submitted  in  the  Appendix.  Prof.  Douglass,  of  whose  useful  and 
meritorious  life,  I  regret  that  I  have  no  account  to  oifer,  died  as  one  of  the  Faculty 
of  Geneva  College,  October  21,  1849. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  211 

of  formations  of  the  Fox  Valley,  and  of  the  islands  of  Green  Bay, 
quite  around  those  northern  waters  to  the  closing  up  of  the  sur- 
\eys  at  Point  St.  Ignace  and  Michilimackinac.  Nor  do  the  primi- 
tive rocks  disclose  themselves  on  any  part  of  that  line  of  coast. 
Of  this  collection,  Mr.  Trowbridge  well  observes,  in  his  report  to 
me,  the  most  interesting  will  probably  be  the  organic  remains. 
These  were  procured  on  the  northeast  side  of  Little  Nocquet  Bay 
where  areas  of  limestone  appear.  They  consist  of  duplicates  of 
the  pectinite.  Three  layers  of  this,  the  magnesian  limestone,  show 
themselves  at  this  place,  of  which  the  intermediate  bed  is  of  a 
dull  blue  color  and  compact  structure,  and  is  composed  in  a  great 
measure  of  the  remains  of  this  species.  It  is  comparatively  soft 
when  first  taken  up,  but  hardens  by  exposure.  About  ten  miles 
nortli  of  this  point,  the  upper  calcareous,  or  surface  rock,  em. 
braces  nodules  of  hornstone.  Specimens  of  a  semi-crystalline 
limestone,  labelled  "marble,"  w^ere  also  brought  from  a  cliff,  com- 
posed of  this  rock,  on  the  lake  shore,  about  thirty  to  forty  miles 
southwest  from  Michilimackinac,  Mr.  Doty  also  brought  some 
specimens  of  sulphate  of  lime,  cal.  spar,  and  some  of  the  common 
rolled  members  of  the  quartz-drift  stratum, 

Michilimackinac  is  a  name  associated  with  our  earliest  ideas  of 
history  in  the  upper  lakes.  How  so  formidable  a  polysyllabic 
term  came  to  be  adopted  by  usage,  it  may  be  difficult  to  tell,  till 
we  are  informed  that  the  inhabitants,  in  speaking  the  word,  clip 
off  the  first  three  syllables,  leaving  the  last  three  to  carry  the 
whole  meaning.  The  full  term  is,  how^ever,  perpetuated  by  legal 
enactment,  this  part  of  Michigan  having  been  organized  into  a 
separate  county  some  time,  I  believe,  during  the  administration  of 
Gen,  Hull,  The  military  gentlemen  call  the  fort  on  the  cliff", 
"  Mackina,"  the  townspeople  pronounce  it  Mackinaw;  but  if  a 
man  be  hauled  up  on  a  magistrate's  writ,  it  is  in  name  of  the 
sovereignty  of  Michilimackinac.  Thus  law  and  etymology  grow 
strong  together. 

Commerce,  we  observe,  is  beginning  to  show  itself  here,  but 
by  the  few  vessels  we  have  met,  while  traversing  these  broad  and 
stormy  seas,  and  their  little  tonnage,  it  seems  as  if  they  were 
stealthily  making  their  way  into  regions  of  doubtful  profit  at 
least.  The  fur  trade  employs  most  of  these,  either  in  bringing  up 
supplies,  or  carj-ing  away  its  avails.     La  Salle,  when,  in  1G79, 


212  NAREATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

lie  built  tlie  first  vessel  on  the  lakes,  and  sent  it  np  to  traffic  in 
furs,  was  greatly  in  advance  of  his  age ;  but  he  could  hardly  have 
anticipated  that  his  countrymen  should  have  adhered  so  long  to 
the  tedious  and  dangerous  mode  of  making  these  long  voyages  in 
the  bark  canoe.  It  is  memorable  in  the  history  of  the  region, 
that  last  year  (1819)  witnessed  the  first  arrival  of  a  steamer  at 
Michilimackinac.  It  bore  the  characteristic  name  of  Walk-in- 
the-water,*  the  name  of  a  Wyandot  chief  of  some  local  celebrity 
in  Detroit,  during  the  last  war. 

The  astonishment  produced  upon  the  Indian  mind  by  the  arri- 
val of  this  steamer  has  been  described  to  ns  as  very  great;  but, 
from  a  fuller  acquaintance  with  the  Indian  character,  we  do  not 
think  him  prone  to  this  emotion.     He  gazes  on  new  objects  with 
imperturbability,  and  soon  explains  what  he  does  not  understand 
by  what  he  does.     Perceiving  heat  to  be  the  primary  cause  of  the 
motion,  without  knowing  how  that  motion  is  generated,  he  calls 
the  steamboat  Ishcoda Nabequon,  i.e.  fire-vessel,  and  remains  pro- 
foundly ignorant  of  the  motive  power  of  steam.     The  story  of  the 
vessel's  being  drawn  by  great  fishes  from  the  sea,  is  simply  one  of 
those  fictions  which  white  loungers  about  the  Indian  posts  fabri- 
cate to  supply  the  wants  of  travellers  in  search  of  the  picturesque. 
The  winds  seem  to  be  unloosed  from  their  mythologic  bags, 
on  the  upper  lakes,  with  the  autumnal  equinox;  and  we  found 
them  ready  for  their  labors  early  in  September;  but  it  was  not 
till  the  13th  of  that  month,  after  a  detention  of  two  days,  that  we 
found  it  practicable  for  canoes  to  leave  the  island.     Mustering 
now  a  flotilla  of  three  canoes,  we  embarked  at  three  o'clock  P.  M., 
with  a  wind  from  the  east,  being  moderately  adverse,  but  soon 
got  under  the  shelter  of  the  island  of  Boisblanc;  we  passed  along 
its  inner  shore  about  ten  miles,  till  reaching  Point  aux  Pins — so 
named  from  the  prevalence  here  of  the  pinus  resinosa.     At  this 
point,  the  wind,  stretching  openly  through  this  passage  from  the 
east,  compelled  us  to  land  and  encamp.     The  next  day,  we  were 
confined  to  the  spot  by  adverse  winds.     While  thus  detained, 
Captain    Douglass,    under    shelter   of    the   island,    returned   to 

*  So  called  from  the  -water  insect,  called  Miera  by  the  Wyandots,  one  of  the  in- 
vertebrata  which  slips  over  the  surface  of  water  without  apparently  wetting  its 
feet. — Vide  Ethnolor/kal  Researches,  vol.  ii.  p.  226. 


NARRATIVE  OP  THE  EXPEDITIOX.  213 

Mackinac,  in  a  light  canoe,  doubly  manned,  for  something  ho  had 
left.  When  he  returned,  the  wind  had  so  far  abated  that  we  em- 
barked, and  crossed  the  separating  channel,  of  about  four  miles, 
to  the  peninsula,  and  encamped  near  the  River  Cheboigan.*  This 
was  a  tedious  beginning  of  our  voyage  to  Detroit;  the  first  day 
had  carried  us  only  ten  miles,  the  second  hntfour. 

We  were  now  to  retraverse  the  shores  of  the  Huron,  along 
wdiieh  we  had  encountered  such  delaj^s  in  our  outward  passage, 
and  the  men  applied  themselves  to  the  task  with  that  impulse 
which  all  partake  of  when  returning  from  a  long  journey.  Winds 
we  could  not  control,  but  every  moment  of  calm  was  improved. 
Paddle  and  song  were  plied  by  them  late  and  early.  A  violent 
rain-storm  happened  during  the  night,  but  it  ceased  at  daybreak, 
when  we  embarked  and  traversed  a  coast  line  of  forty-four  miles, 
encamping  at  Presque  Isle.  Rain  fell  copiously  during  the  night, 
and  the  unsettled  and  changing  state  of  the  atmosphere  kept  us 
in  pei'petual  agitation  during  the  day.  Notwithstanding  these 
changes,  we  em.barked  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  (16th),  and, 
by  dint  of  perseverance,  made  thirty  miles.  We  slept  on  the 
west  cape  of  Thunder  Bay.  Next  morning,  we  landed  a  few 
moments  on  the  Idol  Island,  in  Thunder  Bay,  and,  continuing 
along  the  sandy  shore  of  the  au  sauhle,  or  Iosco  coast,  entered 
Saganaw  Bay,  and  encamped,  on  its  west  shore,  at  Sandy  Point. 
Indians  of  the  Chippewa  language  were  encountered  at  this  spot, 
whose  manners  and  habits  appeared  to  be  quite  modified  by  long 
contact  with  the  white  race. 

The  morning  of  the  18th  (Sept.)  proved  fair,  which  enabled  us 
to  cross  the  bay,  taking  the  island  of  Shawangunk  in  our  course, 
wdiere  we  stopped  an  hour,  and  re-examined  its  calcedonies  and 
other  minerals.  We  then  proceeded  across  to  Oak  Point,  on  its 
eastern  shore,  and,  coasting  down  to,  and  around,  the  precipitous 
cliffs  of  Point  aux  Barques,  encamped  in  one  of  its  deeply-indented 
coves,  having  made,  during  the  day,  forty-two  miles. 

*  Cheboigan.  This  is  a  noted  river  of  the  extreme  of  the  peninsula  of  Michi- 
gan, which  has  just  been  made  the  centre  of  a  new  land  district  by  Congress.  It 
affords  a  harbor  for  shipping,  and  communicates  with  Little  Travers  Bay  on  Lake 
Michigan.  A  canal  across  a  short  route,  of  easy  excavation,  would  avoid  the  whole 
dangerous  route  through  the  Straits  of  IMichilin.aekinac,  converting  the  end  of 
the  peninsula  into  au  island,  and  save  ninety  miles  of  dangerous  travel. 


214  NAREATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION, 

The  formation  of  this  noted  promontory  consists  of  an  ash- 
colored,  not  very  closely-compacted  sandstone,  through  original 
crevices  in  which  the  waves  have  scooped  out  entrances  like  vast 
corridors.  In  one  of  these,  which  has  a  sandy  beach  at  its  ter- 
minus, we  encamped.  lie  who  has  travelled  along  the  shores  of 
the  lakes,  and  encamped  on  their  borders,  having  his  ears,  while 
on  his  couch,  close  to  the  formation  of  sand,  is  early  and  very 
exactly  apprised  of  the  varying  state  of  the  wind.  The  deep- 
sounding  roar  of  the  waves,  like  the  deep  diapason  of  a  hundred 
organs,  plays  over  a  gamut,  whose  rising  or  falling  scale  tells  him, 
immediately,  whether  he  can  put  his  frail  canoe  before  the  wind, 
or  must  remain  prisoner  on  the  sand,  in  the  sheltering  nook 
where  night  overtakes  him.  These  notes,  sounded  between  two 
long  lines  of  cavernous  rocks,  told  us,  long  before  daybreak,  of 
a  strong  head  wind  that  fixed  us  to  the  spot  for  the  day.  I 
amused  myself  by  gathering  some  small  species  of  the  unio  and 
the  anadonta.  Captain  Douglass  busied  himself  with  astronomi- 
cal observations.  We  all  sallied  out,  during  the  day,  over  the 
sandy  ridges  of  modern  drift,  in  which  the  pinus  resinosa  had 
firmly  imbedded  its  roots,  and  into  sphagnous  depressions  beyond, 
where  we  had,  in  the  June  previous,  found  the  sarracenia  purpurea, 
which  is  the  cococo  mukazin,  or  oral's  moccasin  of  the  Indians. 
Here  we  found,  as  at  more  westerly  points  on  the  lake,  the  hum- 
ble juniperus  prostrata,  and,  in  more  fav^orable  spots,  the  ribes 
lacustre.* 

It  was  stated  to  us  at  Michilimackinac,  that  Lake  Huron  had 
fallen  one  foot  during  the  last  year.  It  was  also  added  that  the 
decrease  in  the  lake  waters  had  been  noticed  for  many  years,  and 
that  there  were,  in  fact,  periodical  depressions  and  refluxes  at 
periods  of  seven  and  fourteen  years.  A  little  reflection  will, 
however,  render  it  manifest  that,  in  a  region  of  country  so  exten- 
sive and  thinly  populated,  observations  must  be  vaguely  made, 
and  that  many  circumstances  may  operate  to  produce  deception 
with  respect  to  the  permanent  diminution  or  rise  of  water,  as  the 
prevalence  of  winds,  the  quantity  of  rain  and  snow  which  influ- 
ences these  basins,  and  the  periodical  distribution  of  solar  heat. 
It  has  alread}^  been  remarked,  while  at  the  mouth  of  Fox  Eiver, 

*  Am.  Journ.  ScieBce,  vol.  iv.  1822. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  215 

that  a  fluctuation,  resembling  a  tide,  has  been  improperly  thought 
to  exist  there,  and,  indeed,  similar  phenomena  appear  to  in- 
fluence the  Baltic.  Philosophers  have  not  been  wanting,  who 
have  attributed  similar  appearances  to  the  ocean  itself.  "  It  has 
been  asserted,"  observed  Cuvicr,  "that  the  sea  is  subject  to  a 
continual  diminution  of  its  level,  and  proofs  of  this  are  said  to 
have  been  observed  in  some  parts  of  the  shores  of  the  Baltic. 
Whatever  may  have  been  the  cause  of  these  appearances,  we  cer- 
tainly know  that  nothing  of  the  kind  has  been  observed  upon  our 
coast,  and,  consequently,  that  there  has  been  no  general  lowering 
of  the  waters  of  the  ocean.  The  most  ancient  seaports  still  have 
their  quays  and  other  erections,  at  the  same  height  above  the 
level  of  the  sea,  as  at  their  first  construction.  Certain  general 
movements  have  been  supposed  in  the  sea,  from  east  to  west,  or 
in  other  directions ;  but  nowhere  has  any  person  been  able  to 
ascertain  their  effects  with  the  least  degree  of  precision."* 

On  the  next  day  (20th)  the  wind  abated,  so  as  to  permit  us,  at 
six  o'clock  A.  M,,  to  issue  from  our  place  of  detention ;  but  we 
soon  found  the  equilibrium  of  the  atmosphere  had  been  too  much 
disturbed  to  rely  on  it.  At  seven  o'clock,  and  again  at  nine 
o'clock,  we  were  driven  ashore  ;  but  as  soon  as  it  slackened  we 
were  again  upon  the  lake;  it  finally  settled  to  a  light  head  wind, 
against  which  we  urged  our  way  diligently,  until  eight  o'clock 
in  the  evening.  The  point  where  we  encamped  was  upon  that 
long  line  of  deposit  of  the  erratic  block,  or  boulder  stratum,  of 
which  the  White  Rock  is  one  of  the  largest  known  pieces.  At 
four  o'clock  the  next  morning,  we  were  again  in  motion,  dancing 
up  and  down  on  the  blue  waves ;  but  after  proceeding  six  miles 
the  wind  drove  us  from  the  lake,  and  we  again  encamped  on  the 
boulder  stratum,  where  we  passed  the  entire  day.  Nothing  is 
more  characteristic  of  the  upper  lake  geology,  than  the  frequency 
and  abundance  of  these  boulders.  The  causes  which  have  re- 
moved them,  at  old  periods,  from  their  parent  bed,  were  doubtless 
oceanic ;  for  the  area  embraced  is  too  extensive  to  admit  of  merely 
local  action;  but  we  know  of  no  concentration  of  oceanic  cur- 
rents, of  sufficient  force,  to  bear  up  these  heavy  masses,  over  such 

*  Tlieory  of  the  Earth.  Modern  geologists  attribute  these  changes  to  the  rising 
or  sinkino;  of  the  earth  from  volcauic  forces. 


216  NAEKATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

extensive  surfaces,  without  the  supporting  media  of  ice-floes. 
The  boulders  and  pebbles  are  often  driven  as  the  moraines  be- 
fore glacial  bodies,  and  there  are  not  wanting  portions  of  rock 
surface,  in  the  west,  which  are  deeply  grooved  or  scratched  by 
the  pressing  boulders.  The  crystallized  peaks  of  the  Little  Eocks, 
above  St.  Anthony's  Falls,  have  been  completely  polished  by 
them. —  Vide  p.  149. 

The  next  morning  (22d)  we  were  released  from  our  position  on 
this  bleak  drift-coast,  although  the  wind  was  still  moderately  ahead, 
and  after  toiling  twelve  hours  adown  the  closing  shores  of  the 
lake,  we  reached  its  foot,  and  entered  the  Eiver  St.  Clair.  Halt- 
ing a  few  moments  at  Fort  Gratiot,  we  found  it  under  the  com- 
mand of  Lieut.  James  Watson  Webb,  who  was,  however,  absent 
at  the  moment.  Two  miles  below,  at  the  mouth  of  Black  Eiver, 
we  met  this  officer,  who  had  just  returned  from  an  excursion  up 
the  Black  Eiver,  where  he  had  laid  in  a  supply  of  fine  water- 
melons, with  which  he  liberally  supplied  us.  From  this  spot,  we 
descended  the  river  seven  miles,  to  Elk  Island,  on  which  we  en- 
camped at  twilight,  having  made  fifty-seven  miles  during  the  day. 
Glad  to  find  ourselves  out  of  the  reach  of  the  lake  winds,  and  of 
Eolus,  and  all  his  hosts,  against  which  we  may  be  said  to  have 
fought  our  way  from  Michilimackinac,  and  animated  with  the  pros- 
pect of  soon  terminating  our  voyage,  we  surrounded  our  evening 
board  with  unwonted  spirits  and  glee.  Supper  being  dispatched, 
with  many  a  joke,  and  terminated  with  a  song  in  full  chorus,  and 
the  men  having  carefully  repaired  our  canoes,  it  was  determined 
to  employ  the  night  in  descending  the  placid  river,  and  at  nine 
o'clock  P.  M.  all  was  ready  and  we  again  embarked.  Never  did 
men  more  fully  appreciate  the  melody  of  the  Irish  bard : — 

"  Sweetly  as  tolls  the  evening  chime, 
Our  voices  keep  tune  and  our  oars  keep  time." 

At  half-past  three  the  next  morning,  we  found  ourselves  at  the 
entrance  to  Lake  St.  Clair,  thirty  miles  from  our  evening  repast. 
Owing  to  the  dense  fog  and  darkness,  it  was  now  necessary  to  await 
daylight,  before  attempting  to  cross.  Daylight,  which  had  been 
impatiently  waited  for,  brought  with  it  our  old  lake  enemy,  head 
winds,  which  made  the  most  experienced  men  deem  the  passage 
impracticable.     Counselled,  however,  rather  by  impatience  than 


NARRATIVE  OF  TUE  EXPEDITION".  217 

anything  else,  it  was  resolved  on.  llain  soon  commenced,  whicli 
appeared  the  signal  for  increased  turbulence;  but  by  dint  of  hard 
pushing  in  the  men,  with  some  help  from  our  own  hands,  we 
succeeded  in  weathering  Point  Huron,  the  first  point  of  shelter. 
The  right  hand  shore  then  became  a  continued  covert,  and  we 
successively  saw  point  after  point  lessen  in  the  distance.  It  was 
noon  when  we  reached  Grosse  Point,  the  original  place  of  our 
general  embarkation  on  commencing  the  expedition ;  the  rest  of 
the  voyage  ran  like  a  dream  "when  one  awaketh,"  and  we  landed 
at  the  City  of  Detroit  at  half-past  three  o'clock  P.  M. 

Gov.  Cass,  and  his  equestrian  party  from  Chicago,  had  preceded 
us  thirteen  days,  as  will  be  perceived  from  the  following  article 
from  the  weekly  press  of  that  city,  of  September  15,  1820, 
which  embraces  a  comprehensive  notice  of  the  expedition ;  its 
route,  the  objects  it  accomplished,  and  the  effects  it  may  be  ex- 
pected to  have  on  the  leading  interests  and  interior  policy  of  the 
country,  as  well  as  the  drawing  forth  of  its  resources. 


EXPLORING  EXPEDITION. 

FROM  THE  DETROIT  GAZETTE.  ^ 

Last  Friday  evening,  Governor  Cass  arrived  here  from  Chicago, 
accompanied  by  Lieutenant  M'Kay  and  Mr.  R.  A.  Forsyth,*  both 
of  whom  belonged  to  the  expedition — all  in  good  health. 

*  Major  Robert  A.  Forsytli  was  a  native  of  the  Detroit  Country,  of  Canadian  de- 
scent, and  born  a  few  years  after  its  transfer  to  the  United  States.  At  the  time  of 
the  expedition,  he  was  the  Secretary  of  Governor  Cass,  and  was  admirably  qualified 
to  take  a  part  in  it,  by  his  energy  and  perseverance,  his  indomitable  courage,  and 
his  physical  power  and  activity.  Some  of  these  traits  of  character  were  developed 
at  an  early  age.  He  was  but  yet  a  lad  at  the  time  of  the  surrender  of  Detroit,  and- 
was  so  much  excited  by  that  untoward  event,  that  he  insulted  the  British  officers  in 
the  fort  by  his  reproaches,  and  so  irritated  them  that  one  of  them  threatened  to  pin 
him  to  the  floor  with  a  bayonet.  During  the  war  upon  the  frontier,  he  was  actively 
employed,  and  on  more  than  one  occasion  distinguished  himself  by  his  conduct  and 
courage.  He  was  with  Major  Holmes  at  the  battle  near  the  Long  Woods,  and  be- 
haved with  great  gallantry.  In  1814,  he  was  sent  with  Chandruai,  a  half-breed  Pot- 
towatamie,  and  with  a  small  party  of  Indians,  to  invite  the  various  Indian  tribes  to 
come  to  Greenville,  at  the  treaties  about  to  be  held  by  Generals  Harrison  and  Cass, 
with  a  view  to  detach  the  North-Western  Indians  from  British  influence.  On  the 
route,  they  met  a  superior  party  of  Indians,  led  by  an  officer  of  the  British  Indian 
Department,  who  attempted  to  take  them  prisoners.     They  resisted,  and,  by  their 


218  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

"We  understand  tliat  tlie  objects  of  the  expedition  have  been 
successfully  accomplished.  The  party  has  traversed  4,000  miles 
of  this  frontier  since  the  last  of  May.  Their  route  was  from  this 
place  to  Michilimackinac,  and  to  the  Sault  of  St.  Mary's,  where  a 
treaty  was  concluded  with  the  Chippewas  for  the  cession  of  a 
tract  of  land,  with  a  view  to  the  establishment  of  a  military  post. 
They  thence  coasted  the  southern  shore  of  Lake  Superior  to  the 
Fond  du  Lac;  ascended  the  St.  Louis  River  to  one  of  its  sources, 
and  descended  a  small  tributary  stream  of  Sandy  Lake  to  the 
Mississippi.  They  then  ascended  this  latter  river  to  the  Upper 
Eed  Cedar  Lake,  which  may  be  considered  as  the  principal  source 
of  the  Mississippi,  and  which  is  the  reservoir  where  the  small 
streams  forming  that  river  unite.  From  this  lake  they  descended 
between  thirteen  and  fourteen  hundred  miles  to  Prairie  du  Chieti, 
passing  by  the  post  of  St.  Peters  on  the  route.  They  then  navi- 
gated the  Ouisconsin  to  the  portage,  entered  the  Fox  River,  and 
descended  it  to  Green  Bay.  Then  the  party  separated,  in  order 
to  obtain  a  topographical  sketch  of  Lake  Michigan.  Some  of 
them  coasted  the  northern  shore  to  Michilimackinac,  and  the 
others  took  the  route  by  Chicago.  From  this  point  they  will  tra- 
verse the  eastern  shore  of  tlie  lake  to  Michilimackinac,  and  may 
be  expected  here  in  the  course  of  a  week.  Governor  Cass  re- 
turned from  Chicago  by  land.  A  correct  topographical  delinea- 
tion of  this  extensive  frontier  may  now  be  expected  from  the 
accurate  observations  of  Captain  Douglass,  who  is  fully  competent 
to  perform  the  task.  We  have  heretofore  remained  in  ignorance 
upon  tliis  subject,  and  very  little  has  been  added  to  the  stock  of 
geographical  knowledge  since  the  French  possessed  the  country. 
We  understand  that  all  the  existing  maps  are  found  to  be  very 

prompt  and  almost  desperate  courage,  drove  off  the  British  party.  Forsyth  dis- 
tinguished himself  in  the  contest,  in  which  the  British  leader  of  the  party  was  killed. 
Soon  after  the  war,  he  was  appointed  Private  Secretary  to  Governor  Cass,  and  con- 
tinued in  that  capacity  for  fifteen  years,  till  the  latter  was  transferred  to  the  War 
Department.  He  accompanied  the  General  in  all  his  expeditions  into  the  Indian 
country,  and  rendered  himself  invariably  useful,  having  a  peculiar  talent  to  control 
the  rough  men  who  took  part  in  these  dangerous  excursions.  He  was  ultimately 
appointed  a  paymaster  in  the  army,  in  which  capacity  he  served  in  Mexico,  where 
he  acquired  the  seeds  of  the  disorder  which  proved  fatal  to  him  in  1840.  He  will 
be  long  recollected  and  regretted  by  those  who  knew  him,  for  the  shining  qualities 
of  head  and  heart  which  endeared  him  to  all  his  acquaintances. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  219 

erroneous.  The  character,  numbers,  situation,  and  feehngs  of  the 
Indians  in  those  remote  regions  have  been  fully  explored,  and  we 
trust  that  much  valuable  information  upon  these  subjects  will  be 
communicated  to  the  Government  and  to  the  public.  We  learn 
that  the  Indians  are  peaceable,  but  that  the  effect  of  the  immense 
distribution  of  presents  to  them  by  the  British  authorities,  at 
Maiden  and  at  Drummond's  Island,  has  been  evident  upon  their 
wishes  and  feelings  through  the  whole  route.  Upon  the  esta- 
blishment of  our  posts,  and  the  judicious  distribution  of  our  small 
military  force,  must  we  rely,  and  not  upon  the  disposition  of  the 
Indians.  The  important  points  of  the  country  are  now  almost 
all  occupied  by  our  troops,  and  these  points  have  been  selected 
with  great  judgment.  It  is  thought  by  the  party,  that  the  erec- 
tion of  a  military  work  at  the  Saut  is  essential  to  our  security  in 
that  quarter.  It  is  the  key  of  Lake  Superior,  and  the  Indians  in 
its  vicinity  are  more  disaffected  than  any  others  upon  the  route. 
Their  daily  intercourse  with  Drummond's  Island,  leaves  us  no 
reason  to  doubt  w^hat  are  the  means  by  which  their  feelings  are 
excited  and  continued.  The  importance  of  this  site,  in  a  military 
point  of  view,  has  not  escaped  the  observation  of  ^Ir.  Calhoun, 
and  it  was  for  this  purpose  that  a  treaty  was  directed  to  be  held. 
The  report  which  he  made  to  the  House  of  Eepresentatives,  in 
January  last,  contains  his  views  upon  the  subject. 

"We  cannot  but  hope  that  no  reduction  will  be  made  in  the 
ranks  of  the  army.  It  is  by  physical  force  alone,  and  by  a  pro- 
per display  of  it,  that  we  must  expect  to  keep  within  reasonable 
bounds,  the  ardent,  restless,  and  discontented  savages,  by  whom 
this  whole  country  is  filled  and  surrounded.  Few  persons  living 
at  a  distance  are  aware  of  the  means  which  are  used,  and  too  suc- 
cessfully used,  by  the  British  agents,  to  imbitter  the  minds  of  the 
Indians,  and  preserve  such  an  influence  over  them  as  will  insure 
their  co-operation  in  the  event  of  any  future  difficulties.  A  post 
at  the  Fond  du  Lac  will,  before  long,  be  necessary,  and  it  is  now 
proper  that  one  should  be  established  at  the  portage  between  the 
Fox  and  Ouisconsin  Rivers. 

Mr.  Schoolcraft  has  examined  the  geological  structure  of  the 
country,  and  has  explored,  as  far  as  practicable,  its  mineralogical 
treasures.  We  are  happy  to  learn  that  this  department  could  not 
have  been  confided  to  one  more  able  or  zealous  to  effect  the  ob- 


220  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

jects  connected  with  it.  Extensive  collections,  illustrating  the 
natural  history  of  the  country,  have  been  made,  and  will  add  to 
the  common  stock  of  American  science. 

"We  understand  that  copper,  iron,  and  lead  are  very  abundant 
through  the  whole  country,  and  that  the  great  mass  of  copper 
upon  the  Outanagon  Eiver  has  been  fully  examined.  Upon  this, 
as  well  as  upon  other  subjects,  we  hope  we  shall,  in  a  few  days, 
be  able  to  communicate  more  detailed  information. 


DISCOVERY 


ACTUAL  SOURCE  OF  THE  MISSISSirPI  RIVER 


ITASCA  LAKE, 

BY  AN  EXPEDITION,  AUTHORIZED  BY  THE  WAR  DEPARTMENT  OF 
THE  UNITED  STATES,  IN  1832. 


BY  HENRY  R.  SCHOOLCRAFT, 

UMTED  STATES  SUPERINTENDENT  OF  INDIAN  AFFAIRS  FOR  MICHIOAN,  ETC. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  223 


CHAPTEB   XXI. 

The  search  for  the  veritable  source  of  the  Mississippi  is  resumed. —Ascent  to  Cass 
Lake,  the  prior  point  of  Oisco  very -"Pursue  the  river  westerly,  through  the  An- 
drusian  Lakes  and  up  the  Metuswa  Rapids,  forty-five  miles — Queen  Anne's  Lake. 

Twelve  years  elapse  between  the  closing  of  the  prior,  and  the 
opening  of  the  present  narrative.  In  the  month  of  August,  1830, 
instructions  \vere  received  by  Mr.  Schoolcraft  to  proceed  into  the 
Upper  Mississippi  valley,  to  endeavor  to  terminate  the  renewed 
hostilities  existing  between  the  Chippewa  and  Sioux  tribes. 
These  directions  did  not  come  to  hand  at  the  remote  post  of 
Sault  de  Ste.  Marie,  at  the  outlet  of  Lake  Superior,  in  season  to 
permit  the  object  to  be  executed  that  year.  On  reporting  the 
fact  that  the  tribes  would  be  dispersed  to  their  hunting-grounds 
before  the  scene  could  be  reached,  and  that  severe  weather  would 
close  the  streams  with  ice  before  the  expedition  could  possibly 
return,  the  plan  was  deferred  till  the  next  year.  Renewed  in- 
structions w^ere  issued  in  the  month  of  April,  1831,  and  an  expe- 
dition organized  at  St.  Mary's  to  carry  them  into  immediate  effect. 

These  instructions  did  not  require  the  broad  table-lands  on 
which  the  river  originates  to  be  visited,  though  the  journey 
connected  itself  with  preliminary  questions ;  nor  was  it  found 
practicable  to  extend  the  geographical  examinations,  in  the 
Mississippi  Valley,  beyond  about  latitude  44°. 

The  force  designed  for  this  expedition  consisted  of  twenty- 
seven  men,  including  a  botanist  and  geologist,  and  a  small  mili- 
tary party  under  Lieut.  Robert  E.  Clary,  U.  S.  A.  Entering 
Lake  Superior,  in  the  month  of  June,  with  a  bright  pure  atmo- 
sphere and  serene  weather,  the  party  enjoyed  a  succession  of 
those  clear  transporting  vistas  of  rock  and  water  scenerj^,  which 
render  this  picturesque  basin  by  far  the  most  magnificent,  varied, 
and  afiluent  in  its  prospect  in  America.     It  is  in  this  basin  only, 


224  NAKEATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION", 

of  all  tlie  series  of  Nortli  American  lakes  wliicli  stretcli  west 
from  the  St.  Lawrence,  that  peaks  and  high  mural  walls  of  vol- 
canic formation,  pierce  through,  or  lift  up,  the  horizontal  series 
of  the  Silurian  system ;  and  that,  in  the  lake  region,  the  latter  is 
found  in  singular  juxtaposition,  by  means  of  these  upheavals, 
with  the  senites,  sienitic  granites,  and  metamorphic  rocks  com- 
posing the  globe's  nucleus,  or  primary  out-pushed  stony  coats 
of  these  latitudes. 

I  had  passed  through  this  varied  and  wonder-creating  scene 
of  coast  views  and  long-stretching  vistas  in  1820,  when  geology,  in 
America,  at  least,  was  in  its  infancy,  as  a  member  of  the  organic 
government  expedition  into  this  quarter  of  the  Union,  as  detailed 
in  the  preceding  pages.  I  had,  in  1826,  revisited  the  whole  coast 
from  Point  Iroquois  to  Fond  du  Lac,  in  the  exercise  of  official 
duties,  connected  with  the  Indian  tribes ;  besides  making  sec- 
tional expeditions  into  the  regions  of  the  Gargontwa  and  Mishe- 
pecotin,  and  of  the  Takwymenon  sand-rock,  interior,  and  coast 
lines.  But  the  beauty  of  the  prospects  presented  in  1831,  the 
serenity  of  the  weather,  and  the  opportunity  which  it  gave  of 
revisiting  scenes  which  had  before  flitted  by,  as  the  fragments  of 
a  gorgeous  dream,  gave  to  this  visit  a  charm  which  no  length  of 
time  can  obliterate.  And  these  attractions  were  enhanced  by 
association  with  the  agreeable  men  who  accompanied  me;  of 
whom  it  may  be  said  that  they  represented  the  place  of  strings 
in  a  melodious  harp,  whose  concurrence  was  at  all  times  neces- 
sary to  produce  harmony.  The  sainted  and  scene-loving  Wool- 
sey* — the  self-poised  .and  amiable  Houghton,  just  broke  loose 
from  the  initial  struggles  of  life  to  luxuriate  on  the  geological 
smiles  of  the  face  of  nature  in  this  scene — ah  !  where  are  they  ? 
Death  has  laid  his  cold  hand  on  them,  to  open  their  eyes  on 
other,  and  to  us  inscrutable  scenes. 

Passing  through  this  lake,  the  expedition  met  the  brigade  of 
boats  of  the  late  Mr.  Wm.  Aitken,  from  the  Upper  Mississippi 
waters,  with  the  annual  returns  of  furs  from  that  region.  He 
represented  the  urgent  necessity  of  an  official  visit  to  that  section 
of  the  country,  where  the  Indians  were  in  turmoil ;  but  stated,  at 
the  same  time,  that  the  waters  were  too  low  in  the  streams  at  the 

*    Vide  Letters  on  Lake  Superior,  in  Southern  Literary  Messenger,  1836. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  225 

sources  of  tlie  Mississippi  to  render  explorations  practicable. 
He  also  represented  it  impracticable,  this  season,  to  enter  the 
Mississippi  by  the  way  of  the  Broule,  or  Misakoda  River,  This 
information  was  confirmed  on  reaching  Chegoimegon,  at  the 
remarkable  group  of  the  Confederation  Islands  {mite,  p.  105). 
Returning  eight  miles  on  my  track,  I  entered  the  Muskigo,  or 
Mauvais  River,  and  ascended  this  stream  by  all  its  bad  rafts, 
rapids,  and  portages,  to  the  upper  waters  of  the  River  St.  Croix 
of  the  Mississippi.  Crossing  the  intermediate  table-lands,  with 
their  intricate  system  of  lakes  and  portages  to  Lac  Cowteroille, 
or  Ottawa  Lake,  I  entered  one  of  the  main  sources  of  Chippewa 
River,  and  descended  this  prime  tributary  stream  to  its  entrance 
into  the  Mississippi,  at  the  foot  of  Lake  Pepin.  From  the  latter 
point  I  descended  to  Prairie  du  Chien,  and  to  Galena  in  Illinois. 
Dispatching  the  men  and  canoes  from  this  place  back  to  ascend 
the  AVisconsin  River,  and  meet  me  at  the  portage  of  Fort  Winne- 
bago, I  crossed  the  lead-mine  country  by  land,  by  the  way  of  the 
Pekatolica,  Blue  Mound,  and  Four  Lakes,  to  the  source  of  the 
Fox  River,  and  rejoining  my  canoes  here,  descended  this  stream 
to  Green  Bay,  and  returned  to  my  starting-point  by  the  way  of 
Michilimackinac  and  the  Straits  of  St.  Mary.  Two  months  and 
twelve  days  were  employed  on  the  journey,  during  which  a  line 
of  forests  and  Indian  trails  had  been  passed,  of  two  thousand 
three  hundred  miles. 

The  Indians  had  been  met,  and  counselled  with  at  various 
points,  at  which  presents  and  provisions  were  distributed,  and 
the  peace  policy  of  the  Government  enforced.  A  Chippewa  war 
party,  under  Ninaba,  had  been  arrested  on  its  march  against  the 
Sioux  in  descending  the  Red  Cedar  fork  of  the  Chippewa  River. 
Information  was  obtained  that  nine  tribes  or  bands  had  united  in 
their  sympathies  for  the  restless  Sauks  and  Foxes,  who  broke  out 
in  hostility  to  the  United  States  the  following  spring.  Messages, 
with  pipes  and  belts,  and  in  one  case  notice,  with  a  tomahawk 
smeared  with  vermilion,  to  symbolize  war,  had  passed  between 
these  tribes.* 

The  information  was  communicated  to  the  Government,  with  a 

*  An  outline  of  the  expedition  of  1831  is  fouml  in  Schoolcraft's   "Thirty  Years 
on  the  American  Frontiers."     Lippincott  &  Co.     Phila.  1850. 

15 


226  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

suggestion  that  an  expedition  should  be  organized  for  visiting 
remoter  regions  the  next  year,  and  forwarding,  at  the  same  time, 
detailed  estimates  of  the  expenditures  essential  to  its  efiiciency. 
These  suggestions  were  approved  by  the  Secretary  of  War  on 
the  3d  of  May,  1832,  and  instructions  forwarded  to  me  for  organ- 
izing an  expedition  to  carry  the  reconnoissance  and  scrutiny  to 
the  tribes  on  the  sources  of  the  Mississippi.  A  small  escort  of 
U.  S.  infantry  was  ordered  to  accompany  me,  under  Lieut.  James 
Allen,  U.  S.  A.,  who,  being  a  graduate  of  the  West  Point  Military 
Academy,  undertook  the  departments  of  topography  and  trigo- 
nometry. I  secured  the  services  of  Dr.  Houghton,  as  physician 
and  surgeon,  and  acting  botanist  and  geologist — positions  which 
he  had  occupied  on  the  prior  expedition  of  1831.  The  American 
Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions  were  invited  to 
send  an  agent  to  observe  the  wants  and  condition  of  the  Indian 
tribes  in  these  remote  latitudes ;  who  directed  the  Eev.  Wm.  T. 
Bout  well  to  join  me  at  St.  Mary's.  I  charged  myself  especially 
with  inquiring  into  the  Indian  history  and  languages,  statistics, 
and  general  ethnography. 

The  expedition  left  the  Sault  de  Ste.  Marie  on  the  7th  of  June, 
taking  the  route  through  Lake  Superior  to  Fond  du  Lac  and  the 
St.  Louis  Eiver,  and  the  Savanna  Summit  to  Sandy  Lake,  which 
lies  500  miles  above  St.  Anthony's  Falls  of  the  Upper  Mississippi. 
The  width  of  the  Mississippi  at  the  outlet  of  Sandy  Lake,  by  a 
line  stretched  across,  was  found  to  be  381  feet.  At  my  camp 
here,  a  general  council  was  summoned  of  the  lower  tribes,  who 
were  notified  to  assemble  at  the  mouth  of  the  River  Des  Corbeau 
on  the  20th  of  July ;  and  a  boat  with  presents  and  supplies  was 
sent  down  the  Mississippi  to  await  the  return  of  the  expedition 
through  that  river.  Lightened  thus  of  baggage,  and  having  fixed 
a  point  of  time  within  which  to  finish  the  explorations  above,  I 
proceeded  up  the  main  channel  of  the  river  to,  and  across  the 
Pakagama  Falls,  and  its  wide  plateau  of  savannas,  and  through 
the  Little  and  Great  Winnipek  Lakes,  to  the  Upper  Eed  Cedar, 
or  Cass  Lake,  which  we  entered  on  the  10th  of  July.  This  is  a 
fine  lake  of  transparent  water,  about  eighteen  miles  in  length, 
with  several  large  bays  and  islands  as  denoted  in  the  accompany- 
ing sketch,  which  give  it  an  irregular  shape.     The  largest  island, 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  227 

called  Grande  Isle  by  the  Frencli,  whicli  is  the  Oitchiminis  of  the 
Indians,  and  the  Golcaspi"  of  my  initial  narrative  of  1832.  This 
lake  was  the  terminus  of  the  respective  explorations  of  Lieutenant 
Zebulon  Pike,  U.  S.  A.,  in  1806,  and  Governor  Lewis  Cass  in 
1820.  The  points  at  which  they  approached  it  were  not,  how- 
ever, the  same.  Pike  visited  it  in  a  dog  train,  on  the  snow,  in 
the  mouth  of  January,  across  the  land,  from  the  Northwest  Com- 
pany's trading  post  at  Leech  Lake.  He  visited  an  out-station  of 
that  company  on  Grand  Island.  Cass  landed  in  July,  after  trac- 
ing its  channel  from  Sandy  Lake  to  the  entrance  of  Turtle  Eiver, 
the  line  of  communication  to  Turtle  Lake,  which  was  long  the 
reputed  source  of  the  river.  This  has  been  called  by  a  modern 
traveller  in  the  region  Lake  Julia,  that  he  might  call  it  the  Julian 
source  of  the  Mississippi.f 

I  found  the  Mississippi,  at  the  point  where  it  flows  from  the 
lake,  to  be  172  feet  wide,  not  having  lost  half  the  width  it  had  at 
Sandy  Lake,  although  in  this  distance  it  is  diminished  by  the 
volume  of  its  Leech  Lake  tributary,  which  the  northwest  agents 
informed  Lieutenant  Pike,  in  1806,  to  be  its  largest  tributary.  I 
had  reached  it  ten  days  earlier  in  the  season  than  Governor  Cass, 
having  been  exactly  one  day  less  in  traversing  the  long  line  of 
intervening  country  from  Sault  de  Ste.  Marie.  I  proceeded  directly 
to  Grand  Isle,  the  residence  of  a  Chippewa  baud  numbering  157 
persons.  This  island  was  found  to  have  a  fertile  soil,  where  they 
had  always  raised  the  zea  maize.  Its  latitude  is  47°  25'  23''. 
Not  only  had  I  reached  this  point  ten  days  earlier  in  the  month 
than  the  expedition  of  1820,  but  it  was  found  that  the  state  of  the 
water  on  these  summits  was  very  favorable  to  their  ascent.  Oza- 
windib,:}:  the  Chippewa  chief,  said  that  his  hunting-grounds  em- 
braced the  source  of  the  Mississippi,  but  that  canoes  of  the  size 
and  burden  which  I  had  could  not  ascend  higher  than  the 
Pemidjegumaug^  or  Queen  Anne's  Lake.  I  determined  to  encamp 
my  extra  men  permanently  on  this  island,  with  the  heavy  canoes, 

*  This  is  an  anagram  composed  of  the  names  of  Schoolcraft,  Cass,  and  Pike,  the 
geographical  discoverers,  in  reversed  order,  of  the  region. 

I  Beltrami. 

\  This  name  is  derived  from  ozaicau,  yellovr;  ivinisis,  hair,  and  kundila,  bone  of 
the  forehead  or  head. 


228  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

provisions,  and  baggage,  leaving  the  camp  in  charge  of  Louis 
Default,  a  trusty  man,  of  the  metif  class,  well  acquainted  with  the 
Indian  language,  who  had  been  a  guide  in  1820,  and  to  make 
explorations,  in  the  lightest  class  of  Indian  canoes,  provisioned 
for  an  elite  movement.  Lieutenant  Allen  also  determined  to  en- 
camp the  United  States  soldiers  of  the  party,  leaving  them  under 
a  sergeant.  To  give  each  gentleman  of  the  party  an  opportunity 
of  joining  in  this  movement,  it  was  necessary  to  procure  five 
hunting  canoes,  which  were  of  no  greater  capacity  than  to  bear 
one  sitter*  and  two  paddlers. 

Ozawindib  and  his  companions  produced  these  canoes  at  an 
early  hour  on  the  following  morning,  and  having,  at  m^y  request, 
drawn  a  map  of  the  route,  embarked  himself  as  the  guide  to  the 
party.  "We  left  the  island  before  it  was  yet  daylight.  The  party 
now  consisted  of  sixteen  persons,  including  three  Chippewas  and 
eight  engagees.  The  Mississippi  enters  this  lake  through  a  sa- 
vanna, on  its  extreme  western  borders,  after  performing  one  of 
those  evolutions  through  meadow  lands  so  common  to  its  lower 
latitudes ;  after  reaching  to  within  fifty  yards  of  the  lake,  it  winds 
about,  through  a  natural  meadow,  for  many  miles  before  its  de- 
bouchure. The  chief,  who  was  familiar  with  this  feature,  carried 
me  to  a  fifty  yards  portage,  by  which  we  saved  some  miles  of 
paddling.  We  reached  the  Mississippi  at  a  place  where  it  ex- 
pands into  an  elongated  lake,  for  which  I  heard  no  name,  and 
which  I  called  Lake  Andrusia.f  After  passing  through  this, 
the  river  appeared  very  much  in  size  and  volume  as  it  had  on 
the  outlet  below  Cass  Lake.  It  winds  its  way  through  the  same 
species  of  natural  meadows,  during  which  there  is  but  little 
current.  On  ascending  this  channel  but  a  short  distance,  the 
river  is  found  to  display  itself  in  a  second  lake — which  the  natives 
call  Pamitascodiacij: — which,  in  general  appearance  and  character, 
may  be  deemed  the  twin  of  Lake  Andrusia.  On  its  upper  mar- 
gin, a  tract  of  prairie  land  appears,  of  a  sandy  character,  bearing 

*  The  term  "sitter,"  which  is  a  northwest  phrase  in  common  use,  is  equivalent 
to  the  Canadian  word  hoiirgoise. 

■j-  From  Andrew  Jackson,  at  that  time  President  of  the  United  States. 

\  This  word  appears  to  be  a  derivation  from  pemidj,  across,  muscoda,  a  jnairie, 
and  ackee,  land. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  229 

scattered  pines.  This  appears  to  be  the  particular  feature  alluded 
to  by  tlie  Indian  name.  About  four  miles  above  this  lake,  and 
say  fifteen  from  Cass  Lake,  the  rapids  commence.  It  Avas  eight 
o'clock  A.  M.  when  we  reached  this  point,  and  we  had  then  been, 
four  hours  in  our  canoes  from  the  Andriisia  portage.  These 
rapids  soon  proved  themselves  to  be  formidable.  Boulders  of 
the  geological  drift  period  are  frequently  encountered  in  ascend- 
ing them,  and  the  river  spreads  itself  over  so  considerable  a  sur- 
face that  it  became  necessary  for  the  bowsmen  and  steersmen  to 
get  out  into  the  shallows  and  lead  up  the  canoes.  These  canoes 
were  but  of  two  fathoms  length,  drew  but  a  few  inches  water,  and 
would  not  bear  more  than  three  persons.  It  was  ten  o'clock  when 
we  landed,  on  a  dry  opening  on  the  right  shore,  to  boil  our  kettle, 
and  prepare  breakfast.  So  dry,  indeed,  was  the  vegetation  here, 
that  the  camp-fire  spread  in  the  grass  and  leaves,  and  it  required 
some  activity  in  the  men  to  prevent  its  burning  the  baggage. 
There  were  ten  of  these  rapids  encountered  before  we  reached 
the  summit,  or  plateau,  of  Lake  Pemidjegumaug,  which  is  the 
Lac  Traverse  of  the  French,  These  were  called  the  Metoswa 
rapids,  from  the  Indian  numeral  for  ten. 

The  term  Lac  Traverse  has  been  repeated  several  times  by  the 
Canadian  French,  in  our  northwestern  geography ;  being  promi- 
nently known  in  the  Upper  Mississippi  for  a  handsome  sheet  of 
water,  connecting  the  St.  Peter's,  or  Minnesota  River,  with  Red 
River  of  Hudson's  Bay ;  and  as  the  Indian  name,  thougli  very 
graphic,  is  not  euphonious,  I  named  it  Queen  Anne's  Lake.'"  It 
is  a  clear  and  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  twelve  miles  in  length, 
from  east  to  west,  and  six  or  seven  broad,  with  an  open  forest  of 
hard  wood.  It  is  distant  forty-five  miles  from  Cass  Lake,  and 
lies  at  an  elevation  of  fifty-four  feet  above  that  lake,  and  of  1,456 
feet  above  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  The  latitude  is  47°  28'  W. 
The  peculiarity  recognized  by  the  Indian  name  of  Pemidjegum- 
aug, or  Crosswater,  is  found  to  consist  in  the  entrance  of  the 
Mississippi  into  its  extreme  south  end,  and  its  passage  through 
or  across  part  of  it,  at  a  short  distance  from  the  point  of  entrance. 
Another  feature  of  its  topography  consists  of  its  connection,  by 

*  In  allusion  to  an  interesting  period  of  Britislx  history,  in  its  influences  on 
America, 


230 


NAEEATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 


a  lively  channel  of  less  than  a  mile's  length,  with  another  trans- 
verse lake  of  pure  waters,  to  which  I  applied  the  name  of  Wash- 
ington Irving.  These  features  are  shown  by  the  subjoined 
sketch. 

N. 


1.  Queen  Anne's  Lake.      2.  Washington  Inning's  Lake.      3.  Mississippi  River. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  231 


CHAPTEE  XXII. 

Ascent  of  the  Mississippi  above  Queen  Anne's  Lake — Reach  the  primary  forks  of 
the  riA'er — Ascend  the  left-hand,  or  minor  branch — Lake  Irving — Lake  Marquette 
— Lake  La  Salle — Lake  Plantagenet — Encamp  at  the  Naiwa  rapids  at  the  base  of 
the  Height  of  Land,  or  Itasca  Summit. 

A  SHORT  bait  was  made  on  entering  Queen  Anne's  Lake,  to 
examine  an  object  of  Indian  superstition  on  its  east  sbore.  This 
consisted  of  one  of  tbose  water-worn  boulders  which  assume  the 
shape  of  a  rude  image,  and  to  which  the  Chippewas  apply  the 
name  Shingahawassin,  or  image-stone.  Nothing  artificial  appeared 
about  it,  except  a  ring  of  paint,  of  some  ochreous  matter,  around 
the  fancied  neck  of  the  image,*  We  were  an  hour  in  crossing 
the  lake  southwardly  from  this  point,  which  would  give  a  mean 
rate  of  five  miles.  At  the  point  of  landing,  stood  a  small,  de- 
serted, long  building,  which  Ozawindib  informed  me  had  been 
used  as  a  minor  winter  trading  station.  I  observed  on  the  beach, 
at  this  spot  some  small  species  of  unios,  and,  at  higher  points  on 
the  shore,  helices.  "We  here  noticed  the  passenger  pigeon. 
The  forest  exhibited  the  elm,  soft  maple,  and  white  ash.  Pro- 
ceeding directly  south  from  this  spot  a  short  distance,  we  en- 
tered the  Mississippi,  which  was  found  to  flow  in  with  a  broad 
channel  and  rapid  current.  This  channel  Lieutenant  Allen  esti- 
mated to  be  but  one  hundred  yards  long,  at  which  distance  we 
entered  into  a  beautiful  little  lake  of  pellucid  water  and  a  pic- 
turesque margin,  spreading  transversely  to  our  track,  to  which  I 
gave  the  name  of  Irving.  Ozawindib  held  his  way  directly 
south  through  this  body  of  water,  striking  the  river  again  on 
its  opposite  shore.     We  had  proceeded  but  half  a  mile  above 

*  An  object  of  analogous  kind  was  noticed,  during  the  prior  expedition  of  1820, 
at  an  island  in  Thunder  Bay  of  Lake  Huron.      Vide  p.  55. 


232 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 


this  lake,  when  it  was  announced  that  we  had  reached  the  pri- 
mary forks  of  the  Mississippi.  We  were  now  in  Latitude  47°  28' 
4G".  Up  to  this  point,  the  river  had  carried  its  characteristics 
in  a  remarkable  manner.  Of  the  two  primary  streams  before  us, 
the  one  flowing  from  the  west,  or  the  Itascan  fork,  contributes  by 
far  the  largest  volume  of  water,  possessing  the  greatest  velocity 
and  breadth  of  current.  The  two  streams  enter  each  other  at  an 
acute  angle,  which  varies  but  little  from  due  south,  as  denoted  in 
the  diagram. 


Primary  forks  of  the  Mississippi  River,  in  lat.  47°  28^  46^^. 

/  Ozawindib  hesitated  not  a  moment  which  branch  to  ascend, 
but  shooting  his  canoe  out  of  the  stronger  current  of  the  Itascan 
fork,  entered  the  other.  His  wisdom  in  this  movement  was  soon 
apparent.  He  had  not  only  entered  the  shallower  and  stiller 
branch,  but  one  that  led  more  directly  to  the  base  of  the  ultimate 
summit  of  Itasca.  This  stream  soon  narrowed  to  twenty  feet. 
"We  could  distinctly  descry  the  moving  sands  at  its  bottom ;  but 
its  diminished  velocity  was  apparent  from  the  intrusion  of  aquatic 
plants  along  its  shores.  It  was  manifest  also  from  the  forest 
vegetation,  that  we  were  advancing  into  regions  of  a  more  alpine 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  233 

flora.  The  branches  of  the  larches,  spruce,  and  gray  pines,  were 
clothed  with  lichens  and  floating  moss  to  their  very  tops,  denoting 
an  atmosphere  of  more  than  the  ordinary  humidity.  Clumps  of 
gray  willows  skirted  the  margin  of  the  stream. 

It  was  found  that  the  river  had  made  its  utmost  northing  in 
Queen  Anne's  Lake.  From  the  exit  from  that  point,  the  course 
was  nearly  due  south,  and  from  this  moment  to  our  arrival  at  the 
ultimate  forks,  which  cannot  exceed  a  mile  and  a  half  or  two 
miles,  it  was  evident  why  the  actual  source  of  this  celebrated 
river  had  so  long  eluded  scrutiny.  "We  were  ascending  at  every 
curve  so  far  south^  as  to  carry  the  observer  out  of  every  old  line 
of  travel  or  commerce  in  the  fur  trade  (the  sole  interest  here),  and 
into  a  remote  elevated  region,  which  is  never  visited  indeed,  ex- 
cept by  Indian  hunters,  and  is  never  crossed,  even  by  them,  to 
visit  the  waters  of  the  Eed  Eiver — the  region  in  immediate  juxta- 
position north.  This  semi  Alpine  plateau,  or  height  of  land  for 
which  we  were  now  pushing  directly,  is  called  in  the  parlance  of 
the  fur  trade  Hauteurs  de  Terre.  It  was  evident  that  we  were 
ascending  to  this  continental  plateau  by  steps,  denoted  by  a  series 
of  rapids,  presenting  step  by  step,  in  regular  succession,  wide- 
spread areas  of  flat  surface  spotted  with  almost  innumerable 
lakes,  small  and  large,  and  rice-ponds  and  lagoons.  Thus,  after 
surmounting  the  step  of  the  Packagama  Falls,  we  enter  on  a  wide 
and  far  stretching  plateau  which  embraces  the  great  area  of  Leech 
Lake,  and  its  numerous  lacustrine  beds.  This  step  or  plateau 
may,  in  the  descending  order  of  the  Mississippi,  be  called  the  fifth 
plateau,  and  is,  by  barometrical  observation,  1,856  feet  above  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico.  The  next,  or  fourth  step,  is  that  of  the  plateau 
of  Cass  Lake,  caused  chiefly  by  the  lively  waters  of  the  Leech 
Lake,  the  Upper  Eed  Cedar,  and  the  Winnepek  outlets.  The 
Cass  Lake  level  extends  west  of  this  lake  to  the  foot  of  the 
Metoswa  rapids.  This  is  forty-six  feet  above  the  Leech  Lake 
level.  The  third  plateau,  on  which  the  Mississippi  spreads  itself, 
is  that  of  the  Queen  Anne  summit,  which  is  elevated  by  the  Me- 
toswa rapids  sixty-four  feet  above  the  former.  "We  had  now 
entered  on  this  third  plateau,  on  which  we  found  the  river  flowing 
with  a  just  perceptible  current,  and  frequently  expanding  itself 
in  small  lakes.  On  the  first  of  these,  after  ascending  the  left 
hand,  or  minor  fork,  I  bestowed  the  name  of  Marquette ;  and  on 


234  NAEEATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITIOISr. 

the  second,  that  of  La  Salle.  We  proceeded  beyond  these  to 
a  third  lake  of  larger  dimension,  which  the  Chippewas  call 
Kubba-Kunna,  or  the  Rest  in  the  Path,  being  the  site  of  crossing 
of  one  of  their  noted  land-trails ;  I  named  it  Lake  Plantagenet. 
Lt.  Allen  deemed  this  lake  ten  miles  long  and  five  wide.  At  a 
point  a  short  distance  above  the  head  of  this  lake,  we  encamped 
at  a  late  hour.  It  was  now  seven  o'clock  P.  M.,  and  we  had  been 
in  our  canoes  sixteen  hours,  and  travelled  fifty-five  miles.  It 
was  not  easy  to  find  ground  dry  enough  to  encamp  on,  and  while 
we  were  searching  for  it,  rain  commenced.  We  had  pushed  through 
the  ample  borders  of  the  Scirpus  lacustris  and  other  aquatic  plants, 
to  a  point  of  willows,  alders,  and  spruce  and  tamarack,  with 
pinus  banksiana  in  the  distance.  The  ground  was  low  and  wet, 
the  foot  sinking  into  a  carpet  of  green  moss  at  every  tread. 
The  lower  branches  of  the  trees  were  dry  and  dead,  exhibiting 
masses  of  flowing  gray  moss.  Dampness,  frigidity,  and  gloom 
marked  the  dreary  spot,  and  when  a  camp  fire  had  been  kindled 
it  threw  its  red  glare  around  on  strange  masses  of  thickets  and 
darkness,  which  might  have  well  employed  the  pencil  of  a  Michael 
Angelo.  Tired  and  overwearied  men  are  not,  however,  much 
given  to  the  poetic  on  these  occasions,  and  they  addressed  them- 
selves at  once  to  the  pacification  of  that  uneasy  organ,  the 
stomach.  Travelling  with  men  who  strangely  mix  up  two  foreign 
languages,  one  falls  insensibly  into  the  same  jargon  habits,  of 
which  I  convicted  myself  of  a  notable  instance  this  evening.  I 
had  on  landing  and  pushing  into  the  forest,  laid  a  green  morocco 
portfolio  on  the  branches  of  a  little  spruce,  and  could  not  find  it. 
Keivau  bemuasee,  I  said  to  one  of  the  men,  en  petite  chose  ver,  mittig 
onsing  f  Have  you  not  seen  a  small  green  roll  in  a  sapling  ?  not 
recollecting  that  the  middle  clause  of  the  sentence,  though  in 
regimen  with  the  Ojibwa,  could  have  only  been  construed  by  one 
familiar  both  with  the  Canadian  French  and  the  Algonquin. 
Such,  however,  proved  to  be  the  case,  and  he  soon  handed  me 
the  missing  portfolio. 

I  observed,  as  the  crews  of  the  several  canoes  threw  down  their 
day's  game  before  the  cook,  there  was  a  species  of  duck,  the  anas 
canadensis,  I  think,  which  had  a  small  unio  attached  to  one  of  its 
mandibles,  having  been  engaged  in  opening  the  shell  at  the 
moment  it  was  shot.     With  every  aid,  however,  from  the  tent  and 


NAEEATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  235 

the  tea-kettle,  and  our  cook's  art  iu  spitting  ducks,  the  night 
here,  in  a  gloomy  and  damp  thicket,  just  elevated  above  the  line 
of  the  river  flags,  and  quite  in  the  range  of  the  frogs  and  lizards, 
proved  to  be  one  of  the  most  dreary  and  forlorn.  It  was  felt  that 
we  were  no  longer  on  the  open  Mississippi,  but  were  winding  up 
a  close  and  very  serpentine  tributary,  nowhere  over  thirty  feet 
wide,  which  unfolded  itself  in  a  savanna,  or  bog,  bordered  closely 
with  lagoons  and  rice  ponds.  Indian  sagacity,  it  was  clear,  had 
led  Ozawindib  up  this  tributary  as  the  best,  shortest,  and  easiest 
possible  way  of  reaching  to,  and  surmounting  the  Itasca  plateau, 
but  it  required  a  perpetual  use  of  hand,  foot,  paddle,  and  pole ;  nor 
was  there  a  gleam  of  satisfaction  to  be  found  in  anything  but  the 
most  intense  onward  exertion.  Besides,  I  had  agreed  to  meet  the 
Indians  at  the  mouth  of  the  Crow-Wing  Eiver  on  the  2-4th  of 
July,  and  that  engagement  must  be  fulfilled. 

At  five  o'clock  the  next  morning  (12th)  we  were  on  our  feet, 
and  resumed  the  ascent.  The  day  was  rainy  and  disagreeable. 
There  was  little  strength  of  current,  but  quite  a  sufficient  depth 
of  water;  the  stream  was  excessively  tortuous.  Owing  to  the 
sudden  bends,  we  often  frightened  up  the  same  flocks  of  brant,  ducks, 
and  teals  again  and  again,  who  did  not  appear  to  have  been  in 
times  past  much  subjected  to  these  intrusions.  The  flora  of  this 
valley  appeared  unfavorable.  Dr.  Houghton  has  reported  a  new 
species  of  malva  and  some  five  or  six  other  species  or  varieties 
from  the  general  region,  but  these  have  not,  I  think,  been  elabo- 
rately described.  The  localities  of  the  known  species  of  fauna 
might  be  marked  by  the  occurrence,  on  this  fork,  of  the  cervus 
virginianus,  which  had  not  been  seen  after  leaving  the  Sandy 
Lake  summit  till  after  getting  above  the  primary  forks,  which 
flow  from  the  south  and  west. 

We  toiled  all  day  without  intermission  from  daybreak  till  dark. 
The  banks  of  the  river  are  fringed  with  a  species  of  coarse  marsh- 
land grass.  Clumps  of  willows  fringe  the  stream.  Eush  and 
reed  occupy  spots  favorable  to  their  growth.  The  forest  exhibits 
the  larch,  pine,  and  tamarack.  Moss  attaches  itself  to  everything. 
Water -fowls  seem  alone  to  exult  in  their  seclusion.  After  we 
had  proceeded  for  an  hour  above  Lake  Plantagenet,  an  Indian  in 
the  advance  canoe  fired  at  and  killed  a  deer.  Although  fairly 
shot,  the  animal  ran  several  hundred  yards.     It  then  fell  dead. 


236  KAREATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

The  man  who  had  killed  it  brought  the  carcass  to  the  banks  of 
the  river.  The  dexterity  with  which  he  skinned  and  cut  it  up, 
excited  admiration.  He  gave  the  moze,  which  I  understood  to 
'mean  the  hide  and  feet,  to  my  guide,  Ozawindib.  Signs  of  this 
animal  were  frequent  along  the  stream.  But  we  were  impelled 
forward  by  higher  objects  than  hunting.  It  was,  indeed,  geo- 
graphical and  scientific  facts  that  we  were  hunting  for.  To  trace 
to  its  source  an  important  river,  and  to  fix  the  actual  point  of  its 
origin,  furnished  the  mental  stimulus  which  led  us  to  care  but 
little  where  we  slept  or  what  we  ate. 

When  the  usual  hour  for  breakfast  arrived,  the  banks  of  the 
river  proved  too  marshy  to  land,  and  we  continued  on  till  a 
quarter  past  twelve  P.M.,  before  a  convenient  landing  could  be 
made.  After  this  recruit  to  stomach  and  spirits,  the  men  again 
pushed  forward,  threading  the  stream  as  it  wound  about  in  a 
savanna,  seldom  halting  more  than'  a  few  minutes  at  a  time. 
Frequently,  a  shot  was  fired  at  the  numerous  water-fowl,  so  abund- 
ant on  these  waters.  Sometimes  a  small  unio  or  anadonta  was 
picked  up  from  the  shores ;  occasionally  a  plant  pulled  up,  for  the 
botanical  press.  Nowhere  was  the  water  found  too  shallow  for 
our  canoes,  which  were  only  embarrassed  at  some  points  by  the 
density  of  vegetable  tissue.  Eain  showers  were  encountered 
during  the  whole  of  the  day,  the  equilibrium  of  the  atmosphere 
being  disturbed  by  rolling,  cumulous  clouds,  which  often  poured 
down  their  contents  with  little  warning,  and  without,  indeed, 
driving  us  from  our  canoes.  For,  on  these  occasions,  where  a 
fixed  point  is  to  be  made,  and  the  showers  are  not  anticipated  to 
be  long  or  heavy,  it  is  better  to  travel  in  the  rain  and  submit  to 
the  wetting,  than  to  attempt  landing.  Neither  can  the  meal  of 
dinner  be  stopped  for.  At  length,  at  half-past  five  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  we  came  to  the  base  of  the  highlands  of  the  Itasca  or 
Hauteurs  de  Terre  summit.  The  flanks  of  this  elevation  revealed 
themselves  in  a  high,  naked  precipice  of  the  drift  and  boulder 
stratum,  on  the  immediate  margin  of  the  stream  which  washed 
against  it.  Our  pilot,  Ozawindib,  was  at  the  moment  in  the  rear ; 
halting  a  few  moments  for  him  to  come  up,  he  said  that  we  were 
within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  the  Naiwa  rapids,  and  that  the 
portage  around  them  commenced  at  this  escarpment.  We  had 
seen  no  rock  of  any  species,  in  place,  thus  far. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION".  237 

A  general  landing  was  immcdiatelj  made  at  the  foot  of  the 
hill,  and  as  the  five  canoes  came  up  the  baggage  was  prepared  in 
bundles  and  packages  for  being  carried,  the  canoe-paddles  and 
poles  securely  tied  in  bundles," and  the  canoes  lifted  from  the  water 
and  dried  in  the  sun  to  make  the  transportation  of  them  as  light  as 
possible,  and  mended  and  pitched  wherever  they  leaked.  It  was 
found  that  the  whole  baggage,  canoes  and  all,  could  be  arranged 
for  eleven  back-loads,  this  being  the  precise  number  of  our 
carriers,  white  and  red ;  and  being  ready,  Ozawindib  led  the  way, 
having  a  single  canoe  for  his  share,  and  he  was  soon  followed  by 
the  whole  line,  each  one  of  our  sitters  falling  in  this  line,  charged 
with  the  particular  instrument  of  his  observation,  or  record  of  it. 
The  hill  was  steep,  and  the  footing  soft  and  yielding  in  the  crum- 
bling diluvion,  and  the  scene,  as  the  party  struggled  up  the 
ascent,  presented  quite  a  study  for  the  picturesque.  Lieutenant 
Allen  carried  his  canoe-compass,  which  I  had  had  mounted  by  an 
artisan  of  Detroit;  Dr.  Houghton  grasped  his  hortus  siccus  under 
his  arms ;  Mr.  Johnston,  our  interpreter,  had  his  pipe  and  fowling- 
piece,  and  Mr.  Boutwell  had  wellnigh  lost  his  pocket-bible  and 
notes,  while  staying  himself  against  the  treacherous  influence  of  a 
steep  sand  cliff  "While  the  party  thus  took  their  way  over  the 
hill  to  cross  a  peninsula  of  a  mile  or  two,  and  strike  the  river 
above  the  junction  of  the  Naiwa  Eiver,  I  went  to  observe  the 
rapids..  The  river,  at  this  point,  is  forced  through  a  narrow 
gorge,  where  the  water  descends  with  loud  murmuring  over  a 
series  of  rapids,  which  form  a  complete  check  to  navigation.  The 
portage  is  two  miles.  I  judged  the  entire  descent  of  the  channel, 
from  the  beginning  to  the  terminus  of  the  portage,  to  be  forty- 
eight  feet.  Boulders  of  the  peculiar  northern  sienite,  highly 
charged  witb  hornblende,  and  of  trap-rock,  or  greenstone,  quartz, 
and  sandstone,  were  scattered  over  this  elevation,  and  mixed  with 
the  more  finely  comminuted  portions  of  the  same  rocks,  and  of 
amygdaloids  and  schistose  fragments.  Among  these,  I  observed 
some  specimens  of  the  zoned  agate,  which  identifies  the  stratum 
with  the  extensive  drift  formation  of  the  upper  Mississippi.  It 
would  seem  that  extensive  amygdaloidal  strata  formerly  extended 
over  these  heights,  which  have  been  broken  down  by  the  fierce  and 
general  rush  of  the  oceanic  currents  of  the  north,  which  once 
manifestly  swept  over  these  elevations. 


238  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

Darkness  fell  as  we  reached  an  elevation  overlooking  the  river 
above  the  Naiwa  Eapids,  and  after  some  deliberation  as  to  the  spot 
where  we  should  suffer  less  annoyance  from  mosquitos,  I  pro- 
ceeded to  the  lower  part  of  the  valley  near  the  river,  and  set  up 
my  tent  there  for  the  night.  On  questioning  Ozawindib  of  the 
Naiwa  River,  he  informed  me  that  it  was  a  stream  of  considerable 
size,  and  that  it  originated  in  a  lake  on  a  distant  part  of  the  pla- 
teau, which  was  infested  with  the  copper-head  snake ;  hence  the 
name.  Mr.  Allen's  estimate  of  this  day's  journey  was  fifty -two 
miles.  "We  had  reached  the  second,  or  Assawa  plateau  of  the 
Mississippi,  which  is,  barometrically,  seventy-six  feet  above  the 
Queen  Anne  summit,  and  now  had  but  one  more  to  surmount. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  239 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

The  Expedition  having  reacheJ  the  source  of  the  east  fork  in  Assa-vv.a  Lake,  crosses 
the  highlands  of  the  Hauteurs  de  Terre  to  the  source  of  the  main  or  west  fork  in 
Itasca  Lake. 

The  next  morning  (13tb)  a  dense  fog  prevailed.  We  had 
found  the  atmosphere  warm,  but  charged  with  water  and  vapors, 
which  frequently  condensed  into  showers.  The  evenings  and 
nights  were,  however,  cool,  at  the  precise  time  of  the  earth 
hiding  the  sun's  disk.  It  was  five  o'clock  before  we  could  discern 
objects  with  sufficient  distinctness  to  venture  to  embark.  We 
found  the  channel  of  the  river  strikingly  diminished  on  getting 
above  the  Naiwa.  Its  width  is  that  of  a  mere  brook,  running  in 
a  valley  half  a  mile  wide.  The  water  is  still  and  pond-like,  the 
margin  being  encroached  on  by  aquatic  plants.  It  presents  some 
areas  of  the  zizania  palustris,  and  appeared  to  be  the  favorite  re- 
sort for  several  species  of  duck,  who  were  continually  disturbed 
by  our  progress.  After  diligently  ascending  an  hour  and  a  half, 
or  about  eight  miles,  the  stream  almost  imperceptibly  began  to 
open  into  a  lake,  which  the  Indians  called  Assawa,  or  Perch  Lake. 
Its  borders  are  fringed  with  the  monomin  of  the  Chippewas,  or 
wild  rice,  and  several  of  the  liliaceous  water  plants.  The  water 
is  transparent  when  dipped  up  and  viewed  by  the  light,  but  from 
the  falling  of  leaves  and  other  carbonaceous  fibre  to  the  bottom, 
it  reflects  a  sombre  hue.  We  were  just  twenty  minutes  in  passing 
through  it,  denoting  a  length  of  perhaps  two  miles,  and  a  width  of 
half  a  mile.  Our  course  through  it  was  directly  south.  Ozawindib, 
who  took  the  advance,  entered  an  inlet,  but  had  not  ascended  it 
far,  when  he  rested  on  his  paddles,  and  exclaimed  o-omali  mehun- 
nah,  here  is  the  path,  or  portage.  We  had,  in  fact,  traced  'this 
branch  of  the  river  into  its  utmost  sources.  It  was  seven  o'clock 
in  the  morning.     We  were  surrounded  by  what  the  natives  term 


240  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

azhishee^  or  mire,  broad-leaved  plants  extending  over  the  surface 
of  the  water,  in  which  I  recognized  a  diminutive  species  of  yellow 
pond-lily.  There  was  no  mode  of  reaching  dry  land  but  by 
stepping  into  this  yielding  azhiskee.  The  water  was  rather  tepid. 
After  wading  about  fifty  yards  the  footing  became  more  firm,  and 
we  soon  began  to  ascend  a  slight  elevation.  Some  traces  of  an 
Indian  trail  appeared  here,  which  led  to  an  opening  in  the  thicket, 
where  vestiges  of  the  bones  of  birds,  and  old  camp-poles,  indi- 
cated the  prior  encampment  of  Indians. 

I  had  now  traced  this  branch  of  the  Mississippi  to  its  source, 
and  was  at  the  south  base  of  the  inter-continental  highlands, 
which  give  origin  to  the  longest  and  principal  branch  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi. To  reach  its  source  it  was  necessary  to  ascend  and  cross 
these.  Of  their  height,  and  the  difficulty  of  their  ascent,  we  knew 
nothing.  This  only  was  sure,  from  the  representation  of  the 
natives,  that  it  could  be  readily  done,  carrying  the  small  bark 
canoes  we  had  thus  far  employed.  The  chief  said  it  was  thirteen 
ojnirjidjiioemm,  or  putting-down-places,  which  are  otherwise  called 
onivayhees^  or  rests.  From  the  roughness  of  the  path,  not  more 
than  half  a  mile  can  be  estimated  to  each  omoaybee.  Assawa  Lake 
is  shown,  by  barometric  measurement,  to  be  1,532  feet  above  the 
Gulf  Having  followed  out  this  branch  to  its  source,  its  very 
existence  in  our  geography  becomes  a  new  fact. 

While  the  baggage  and  canoes  were  being  carried  to  the  spot 
of  our  encampment,  a  camp-fire  was  kindled  and  the  cook  busied 
himself  in  preparing  breakfast.  The  canoes  were  then  carefully 
examined  and  repaired,  and  the  baggage  parted  into  loads,  so  as 
to  permit  the  whole  outfi.t  and  apparatus  to  be  transported  at  one 
trip.  These  things  having  been  arranged,  and  the  breakfast  dis- 
patched, we  set  forward  to  mount  the  highlands.  Ozawindib  hav- 
ing thrown  one  of  the  canoes  over  his  shoulders,  led  the  way, 
complaisantly,  being  followed  by  the  entire  party. 
/  The  prevailing  growth  at  this  place  is  thick  bramble,  spruce, 
white  cedar,  and  tarcarak.  The  path  plunges  at  once  into  a 
marshy  and  matted  thicket,  which  it  requires  all  one's  strength 
to  press  through — then  rises  to  a  little  elevation  covered  with 
white  cedar,  and  again  plunges  into  a  morass  strewed  with  fallen 
and  decayed  logs,  coshered  with  moss.    From  this  the  trail  emerges 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  241 

on  ilry  ground.  Eelieved  from  the  entanglement  about  our  feet, 
we  soon  found  ourselves  ascending  an  elevation  of  the  drift  stra- 
tum, consisting  of  oceanic  sand,  with  boulders.  On  the  side  of 
this  eminence  we  enjoyed  our  first  omoayhee.  The  day  had  de- 
veloped itself  clear  and  warm,  and  glad  indeed  were  we  to  find 
the  chief  had  put  down  his  canoe,  and  by  the  time  we  reached 
had  lit  his  pipe.  The  second  onwaybee  brought  us  to  the  summit 
of  this  elevation ;  the  third  to  the  side  of  a  ridge  beyond  it ;  the 
fourth  to  another  summit ;  in  fine,  we  found  ourselves  crossing 
a  succession  of  ridges  and  depressions,  which  seemed  to  have 
owed  their  original  outlines  to  the  tumultuous  waves  of  some 
mighty  ocean,  which  had  once  had  the  mastery  over  the  high- 
lands. Trail  there  was  often  none.  The  day  being  clear,  the 
chief,  however,  held  his  course  truly,  and  when  he  was  turned 
out  of  it  by  some  defile,  or  thicket,  or  bog,  he  again  found  his 
line  at  the  earliest  possible  point.  In  one  of  the  depressions,  we 
crossed  a  little  lake  in  the  canoes ;  in  another,  we  followed  the 
guide  on  foot,  through  and  along  the  border  of  a  shallow  lake,  to 
avoid  the  density  of  the  thickets. 

Eipe  strawberries  were  brought  to  me  at  one  of  our  onwaybees. 
I  observed  the  diminutive  rebus  nutkanus  on  low  grounds.  The 
common  falco  was  noticed,  and  the  Indians  remarked  tracks  of 
the  deer,  not,  however,  of  very  recent  date.  The  forest  growth 
is  small,  by  far  the  most  common  species  being  the  scrubby  pinus 
banksianus,  exhibiting  its  parasitic  moss.  The  elevated  parts  of 
the  route  were  sufficiently  open,  with  often  steep  ascents.  Over 
these  sienite  and  granite,  quartz  and  sandstone  boulders  w^ere 
scattered.  Every  step  we  made  in  crossing  these  sandy  and 
diluvial  elevations,  seemed  to  inspire  renewed  ardor  in  com- 
pleting the  traverse.  The  guide  had  called  the  distance,  as  we 
computed  it,  about  six,  or  six  and  a  half  miles.  We  had  been  four 
hours  upon  it,  now  clambering  up  steeps,  and  now  brushing 
through  thickets,  when  he  told  us  we  were  ascending  the  last 
elevation,  and  I  kept  close  to  his  heels,  soon  outwent  him  on 
the  trail,  and  got  the  first  glimpse  of  the  glittering  nymph  we 
had  been  pursuing.  On  reaching  the  summit  this  wish  was 
gratified.  At  a  depression  of  perhaps  a  hundred  feet  below, 
cradled  among  the  hills,  the  lake  spread  out  its  elongated  volume, 
presenting  a  scene  of  no  common  picturesqueness  and  rural 
16 


242  NAERATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

beauty.  In  a  short  time  I  stood  on  its  border,  tbe  whole  cortege 
of  canoes  and  pedestrians  following;  and  as  each  one  came  he  de- 
posited his  burden  on  a  little  open  plat,  which  constituted  the 
terminus  of  the  Indian  trail.  In  a  few  moments  a  little  fire 
threw  up  its  blaze,  and  the  pan  o^jyigieii^  or  pine  pitch,  was  heated 
to  mend  the  seams  of  the  bark  canoes.  AVhen  this  was  done, 
they  were  instantly  put  into  the  lake,  with  their  appropriate  bag- 
gage ;  and  the  little  flotilla  of  five  canoes  was  soon  in  motion, 
passing  down  one  of  the  most  tranquil  and  pure  sheets  of  water  of 
which  it  is  possible  to  conceive.  There  was  not  a  breath  of  wind. 
We  often  rested  to  behold  the  scene.  It  is  not  a  lake  overhung 
by  rocks.  Not  a  precipice  is  in  sight,  or  a  stone,  save  the  pebbles 
and  boulders  of  the  drift  era,  which  are  scattered  on  the  beach. 
The  waterfowl,  whom  we  disturbed  in  their  seclusion,  seemed 
rather  loath  to  fly  up.  At  one  point  we  observed  a  deer,  stand- 
ing in  the  water,  and  stooping  down,  apparently  to  eat  moss. 

The  diluvial  hills  inclosing  the  basin,  at  distances  of  one  or  two 
miles,  are  covered  with  pines.  From  these  elevations  the  lands 
slope  gently  down  to  the  water's  edge,  which  is  fringed  with  a  mixed 
foliage  of  deciduous  and  evergreen  species.  After  passing  some 
few  miles  down  its  longest  arm,  we  landed  at  an  island,  which 
appeared  to  be  the  only  one  in  the  lake.  I  immediately  had  my 
tent  pitched,  and  while  the  cook  exerted  his  skill  to  prepare  a 
meal,  scrutinized  its  shores  for  Crustacea,  while  Dr.  Houghton 
sought  to  identify  its  plants.  While  here,  the  latter  recognized 
the  mycrostylis  ophioglossoides,  physalis  lanceolata,  silene  antir- 
rhina,  and  viola  pedata.  We  found  the  elm,  lynn,  soft  maple, 
and  wild  cherry,  mingled  with  the  fir  species. 

An  arm  of  the  lake  stretches  immediately  south  from  this 
island,  which  receives  a  small  brook.  Lieutenant  Allen,  who 
estimates  the  greatest  length  of  the  lake  at  seven  miles,  drew  the 
following  sketch  of  its  configuration.    (See  p.  243.) 

The  latitude  of  this  lake  is  47°  13'  35".*  The  highest  grounds 
passed  over  b}'  us,  in  our  transit  from  the  Assowa  Lake,  lie  at  an 
elevation  of  1,695  feet.     The  view  given  of  the  scene  in  the  first 

*  By  the  report  of  Governor  Stevens  (June,  1854),  the  selected  pass  for  the  con- 
templated railroad  through  the  St.  Mary  to  the  Columbia  vallej  is  in  47°  30^,  where 
there  is  but  little  snow  at  any  time,  and  rich  pasturage  for  cattle.  The  phenomena 
of  the  Climates  of  our  northern  latitudes  are  but  little  understood. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 


243 


volume  of  my  Ethnological  Researches^  p.  146,  is  taken  from  a  point 
nortli  of  the  island,  lookins;  into  the  vista  of  the  south  arm  of  the 


Itasca  Lake,  the  source  of  the  Mississippi  River,  3,160  miles  from  the  Salize. 
A.  Mississippi   River,     b.   Route  of  expedition  to  the  Lake.     c.  Schoolcraft's 
Island. 

lake.  I  inquired  of  Ozawindib  the  Indian  name  of  this  lake ;  he 
replied  Omushkos,  which  is  the  Chippewa  name  of  the  Elk.* 
Having  previously  got  an  inkling  of  some  of  their  mythological 
and  necromantic  notions  of  the  origin  and  mutations  of  the  coun- 
try, which  permitted  the  use  of  a  female  name  for  it,  I  denomi- 
nated it  iTASCA.f 

■^  The  Canadian  French  call  this  animal  la  Biche,  from  Biche,  a  hind, 
f  This  myth  is  fm-ther  alluded  to,  in  the  following  stanzas  from  the  Literary 
World,  No.  337  :— 

STA^"ZAS. 

OS  KEACHINQ  THE  SOURCE  OP  THE  MISSISSIPPI  EIVER  IN  1832.  J 


Ha !  truant  of  western  waters !     Thou  who  hast 
So  long  concealed  thy  very  sources — flitting  shy, 

Now  here,  now  there — thi'ough  spreading  mazes  vast 
Thou  art,  at  length,  discovered  to  the  eye 

In  crystal  springs,  that  run,  like  silver  thread. 
From  out  their  sandy  heights,  and  glittering  lie 


X  Narrative  of  an  Expedition  to  Itasca  Lake.  Harpers.  1834.     1  vol.  Svo.  p.  307. 


2-i4  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

The  line  of  discovery  of  the  Mississippi,  explored  above  Cass 
Lake,  taking  the  east  fork  from  the  primary  junction,  as  shown 
by  Mr.  Allen's  topographical  notes,  is  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
three  miles.*  This  is  the  shortest  and  most  direct  branch.  The 
line  by  the  Itascan  or  main  branch  of  it  is,  probably,  some  twenty 
or  twenty-five  miles  longer.  It  is  evident,  as  before  intimated, 
that  the  river  descends  from  its  summit  in  plateaux.  From  the 
pseudo-alpine  level  of  the  parent  lake,  there  is  a  principal  and 
minor  rapids,  for  the  former  of  which  the  Indians  have  the  appro- 
priate name  of  KaJcabikons,  which  is  a  descriptive  term  for  a  cascade 
over  rocks  or  stones.  Then  the  river  again  deploys  itself  in  a  lake 
and  a  series  of  minor  lakes  on  the  same  level,  and  this  process  is 
repeated,  until  it  finally  plunges  over  the  horizontal  rocks  at  St. 
Anthony's  Falls,  and  displays  itself,  for  the  last  time,  in  Lake 
Pepin.  Commencing  with  the  latter  lake,  it  may  be  observed 
for  the  purposes  of  generalization,  and  to  give  definite  notions 
rather  of  its  hydrography  than  geology,  that  there  are  nine  pla- 
teaux, of  which  Governor  Cass,  in  1820,  explored  six.  The  other 
three,  beginning  at  his  terminal  point,  have  now  been  indicated. 
The  heights  of  these  are  given,  barometrically.  The  distances 
travelled  are  given  from  time.  The  annexed  diagram  of  these 
plateaux,  extending  to  the  Pakagama  summit,  will  impress  these 
deductions  on  the  eye. 

Within  a  beauteous  basin,  fair  outspread 
Hesperian  woodlands  of  the  western  sky, 
/  As  if,  in  Indian  myths,  a  truth  there  could  be  read, 
'    And  these  were  tears,  indeed,  by  fair  Itasca  shed. 

II. 

To  bear  the  sword,  on  prancing  steed  arrayed ; 

To  lift  the  voice  admiring  Senates  own ; 
To  tune  the  lyre,  enraptured  muses  played ; 

Or  pierce  the  starry  heavens — the  blue  \inknown — 
These  were  the  aims  of  many  sons  of  fame. 

Who  shook  the  world  with  glory's  golden  song. 
I  sought  a  moral  meed  of  less  acclaim. 

In  treading  lands  remote,  and  mazes  long ; 
And  while  around  aerial  voices  ring, 
I  quaff  the  limpid  cup  at  Mississippi's  spring.  H.  K.  s. 


*  Mr.  Nicollet,  who  ascended  the  same  fork  in  1836,  makes  the  distance  twelve 
miles  more.     Vide  Ex.,  Doc.  No.  237. 


S!  §  2;     «J  N 


s     fs  «^ 


-7-^    F,ln-(i(ioii  a/>o>(  /'ut/y  o/M(\i(o 


Ifa-';rfi  LffAr 


'y%  .Iprx  nt  //tnit{(tii  r/cs  Trrrr.i 


.l.ssoini  I.fikt   Sdiirrc  o/' /Wis/  Fork 
.Viinrfi  Htz/m/s 


/./ikr  /'/(fii /a(/rin  / 

L,//u   I.tf  S,///( 

Lrt/\(   .\/(//r/iir//r 

f'f//iiu(f( Jorh-s  of f/ir Afissis.sip/ii ,  /.af  i7'-2«  if, 

/.aki   /rviiu/ 


Lilki   //inrii  .Inn 

■'I'  .l/r/oMivi  /!apif/.s 

Liikr  h  iiii.sco</uic 
/.(iki  .lilt  In  I -SI /I 


Cii.ss  Lake 


9^ 

o 

w 
n 

o 

% 

n 
W 

o 


\     Lake  //iii/irprk 

! 

(    Lil//r  It'liiiii/iik  Lrikr 


C/3 

I— I 

>— ( 


kircJi  Lriki 


tiii-i  J-'akar/aiiKi  Fa//.i 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  245 

The  length  of  the  Mississippi,  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  pur-  \ 
suing  its  involutions,  may  be  stated  to  be  three  thousand  miles. 
By  estimates  from  the  best  sources  made,  respectively,  during 
the  expeditions  of  1820  and  1832,  it  is  shown  to  have  a  wdnding 
thread  of  three  thousand  one  hundred  and  sixty  miles.  Taking 
the  barometrical  height  of  Itasca  Lake  at  fifteen  hundred  and 
seventy-five  feet,  it  has  a  mean  descent  of  a  fraction  over  six 
inches  per  mile.  As  one  of  the  most  striking  epochs  in  Ame- 
rican geography,  we  have  known  this  river,  computing  from  the 
era  of  Marquette's  discovery  to  the  present  day  (July  13, 1832),  but 
one  hundred  and  fifty -nine  years — a  short  period,  indeed !  How 
rich  a  portion  of  the  geology  of  the  globe  lies  buried  in  the  flora 
and  fauna  of  the  tertiary,  the  middle  or  secondary,  and  the  palseo- 
zoic  eras  of  its  valley,  we  have  hardly  begun  to  inquire.  It  will, 
doubtless,  and,  so  far  as  we  know,  does,  contribute  evidences  to  the 
antiquity  and  mutations  of  the  earth's  surface,  conformably  to  the 
progress  of  discoveries  in  other  parts  of  the  globe.  The  immense 
basins  of  coal,  found  in  the  middle  and  lower  parts  of  its  valley, 
prove  the  same  gigantic  epoch  of  its  flora  which  has  been  esta- 
blished for  the  coal  measures  of  Europe,*  and  sweep  to  the  winds 
the  jejune  theory  that  the  continent  arose  from  a  chaotic  state,  at 
a  period  a  whit  less  remote  than  the  other  quarters  of  the  globe. 
"While  the  large  bones  of  its  later  eras,  found  imbedded  in  its 
unconsolidated  strata,  prove  how  large  a  portion  of  its  fauna  were 
involved  in  the  gigantic  and  monster-period. 

*  Entii-e  trees  are  often  found  imbedded  in  its  rocks  of  the  middle  era,  as  is  evi- 
denced by  an  individual  of  the  juglans  nigra,  of  at  least  fifty  feet  long,  in  the  River 
De  Plain  e,  valley  of  the  Illinois,     Vide  Appendix. 


246  NAREATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 


CHAPTER    XXiy. 

Descent  of  the  west,  or  Itascan  branch — KakabikoSs  Falls — Junction  of  theChemaun, 
Peniddiwin,  or  De  Soto,  and  Allenoga  Rivers — Ptcturn  to  Cass  Lake. 

Itasca  Lake  lies  in  latitude  twenty-five  seconds  only  south  of 
Leech  Lake,  and  five  minutes  and  eleven  seconds  west  of  the  ul- 
timate northerly  point  of  the  Mississippi,  on  the  Queen  Anne 
summit ;  it  is  a  fraction  over  twelve  minutes  southwest  of  Cass 
Lake.  The  distance  from  the  latter  point,  at  which  discovery 
rested  in  1820,  is,  agreeably  to  the  observations  of  Lieutenant 
Allen,  one  hundred  and  sixty-four  miles. 

On  scrutinizing  the  shores  of  the  island,  on  which  I  had  en- 
camped, innumerable  helices,  and  other  small  univalves,  were 
found ;  among  these  I  observed  a  new  species,  which  Mr.  Cooper 
has  described  as  planorbis  companulatus.*  There  were  bones  of 
certain  species  of  fish,  as  well  as  the  bucklers  of  one  or  two  kinds 
of  tortoise,  scattered  around  the  sites  of  old  Indian  camp  fires, 
denoting  so  many  points  of  its  natural  history.  Amidst  the  forest- 
trees  before  named,  the  betula  papyracese  and  spruce  were  ob- 
served. Directing  one  of  the  latter  to  be  cut  down,  and  prepared 
as  a  flagstaff,  I  caused  the  United  States  flag  to  be  hoisted  on  it. 
This  symbol  was  left  flying  at  our  departure.  Ozawindib,  who  at 
once  comprehended  the  meaning  of  this  ceremony,  with  his  com- 
panions fired  a  salute  as  it  reached  its  elevation. 

Having  made  the  necessary  examinations,  I  directed  my  tent  to 
be  struck,  and  the  canoes  put  into  the  water,  and  immediately 
embarked.  The  outlet  lies  north  of  the  island.  Before  reaching 
it,  we  had  lost  sight  of  the  flagstaflj  owing  to  the  curvature  of  the 
shore.  Unexpectedly,  the  outlet  proved  quite  a  brisk  brook,  with 
a  mean  width  of  ten  feet,  and  one  foot  in  depth.     The  water  is  as 

*  Appendix. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  247 

clear  as  crystal,  and  we  at  once  found  ourselves  gliding  along, 
over  a  sandy  and  pebbly  bottom,  strewed  with  the  scattered 
valves  of  shells,  at  a  brisk  rate.  Its  banks  are  overhung  with 
limbs  and  foliage,  which  sometimes  reach  across.  The  bends  are 
short,  and  have  accumulations  of  flood-wood,  so  that,  from  both 
causes,  the  use  of  the  axe  is  often  necessary  to  clear  a  passage. 
There  was  also  danger  of  running  against  boulders  of  black  rock, 
lying  in  the  margin,  or  piled  up  in  the  channel.  As  the  rapid 
waters  increased,  w^e  were  hurled,  as  it  were,  along  through  the 
narrow  passages,  and  should  have  descended  at  a  prodigiously 
rapid  rate,  had  it  not  been  for  these  embarrassments  to  the  navi- 
gation. Its  course  was  northwest.  After  descending  about  ten 
miles,  the  river  enters  a  narrow  savanna,  where  the  channel  is 
wider  and  deeper,  but  equally  circuitous.  This  reaches  some 
seven  or  eight  miles.  It  then  breaks  its  way  through  a  pine  ridge, 
where  the  channel  is  again  very  much  confined  and  rapid,  the 
velocity  of  the  stream  threatening  every  moment  to  dash  the 
canoe  into  a  thousand  pieces.  The  men  were  sometimes  in  the 
water,  to  guide  the  canoe,  or  stood  ever  ready,  with  poles,  to  fend 
off.  After  descending  some  twenty -five  miles,  we  encamped  on  a 
high  sandy  bluff  on  the  left  hand. 

The  next  morning  (14th),  we  were  again  in  our  canoes  before 
five  o'clock.  The  severe  rapids  continued,  and  were  rendered 
more  dangerous  by  limbs  of  trees  which  stretched  over  the 
stream,  threatening  to  sweep  off  everything  that  was  movable. 
We  had  been  one  hour  passing  down  a  perfect  defile  of  rapids, 
when  we  approached  the  Kakabikons  Falls.  Kakahilc^  in. the 
Chippewa,  means  a  cascade,  or  shoot  of  water  over  rocks.  Oris 
is  merely  the  diminutive,  to  which  all  the  nouns  of  this  language 
are  subject.  How  formidable  this  little  cataract  might  be,  we 
could  not  tell.  It  appeared  to  be  a  swift  rush  of  water,  bolting 
through  a  narrow  gorge,  without  a  perpendicular  drop,  and  Oza- 
windib  said  it  required  a  portage.  Halting  at  its  head,  for  Lieut. 
Allen  to  come  up,  his  bowsman  caught  hold  of  my  canoe,  to 
check  his  velocity.     It  had  that  effect.     But,  being  checked  sud- 

*  Kakabik.  Ahik  is  a  rock.  The  prefi-ied  syllable,  A'a/c,  may  be  derived  from 
Kukidjewum,  a  rapid  stream.  Ka  is  often  a  prefix  of  negation  in  compound  words, 
which  has  the  force  of  a  derogative. 


248  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

deulj,  the  stern  of  his  canoe  swung  across  the  stream,  which  per  • 
mittecl  the  steersman  to  catch  hold  of  a  branch.  Thus  stretched 
tensely  across  the  rapid  stream,  in  an  instant  the  water  swept  over 
its  gunwale,  and  its  contents  were  plunged  into  the  swift  current. 
The  water  was  about  four  feet  deep.  Allen  and  his  men  found 
footing,  with  much  ado,  but  his  canoe — compass,  apparatus,  and 
everything,  was  lost  and  swept  over  the  falls.  He  grasped  his 
manuscript  notes,  and,  by  feeling  with  his  feet,  fetched  up  his 
fowling-piece ;  the  men  clutched  about,  and  managed  to  save  the 
canoe.  Fortunately,  I  had  a  fine  instrument  to  replace  the  lost 
compass,  though  wanting  the  nautical  rig  of  the  other. 

We  made  a  short  portage.  Two  of  the  canoes,  with  Indian 
pilots,  went  down  the  rapids,  but  injured  their  canoes  so  much  as 
to  cause  a  longer  delay  than  if  they  had  carried  them  by  land. 
Below  this  fall,  the  river  receives  a  tributary  on  the  right  hand, 
called  the  Chemaun,  or  Ocano.  It  contributes  to  double  its 
volume,  very  nearly,  and  hence  its  savanna  borders  are  enlarged. 
Conspicuous  among  the  shrubbery  on  its  shores  are  the  wilding 
rose  and  clumps  of  the  salix.  The  channel  winds  through  these 
savanna  borders  capriciously.  At  a  point  where  we  landed  for 
breakfast,  on  an  open  pine  bank  on  the  left  shore,  we  observed 
several  copious  and  clear  springs  pouring  into  the  river.  Indeed, 
the  extensive  sand  ranges  which  traverse  the  woodlands  of  the 
Itasca  plateau  are  perfectly  charged  with  the  moisture  which  is 
condensed  on  these  elevations,  which  flows  in  through  a  thousand 
little  rills.     On  these  sandy  heights  the  conifera  predominate. 

The  physical  character  of  the  stream  made  this  part  of  our 
route  a  most  rapid  one.  Willing  or  unwilling,  we  were  hurried 
on;  but,  indeed,  we  had  every  desire  to  hasten  the  descent.  At 
four  o'clock  P.  M.,  we  came  to  the  junction  of  the  Piniddiwin,*or 
Carnage  Eiver,  a  considerable  tributary  on  the  left.  On  this 
river,  which  originates  in  a  lake,  on  the  northeastern  summit  of 
the  Hauteur  des  Terres,  I  bestowed  the  name  of  De  Soto.  It  has 
also  a  lake,  called  Lac  la  Folle,  at  the  point  of  its  junction  with 
the  Mississippi,  whose  borders  are  noted  for  the  abundant  and 

*  From  the  term  lah-pinuniddeivin,  an  emphatic  expression  for  a  place  of  carnage, 
so  called  from  a  secret  attack  made  at  this  place,  in  time  past,  by  a  party  of  Sioux, 
■who  killed  every  member  of  a  lodge  of  Chippewas,  and  then  shockingly  mangled 
their  bodies. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  249 

vigorous  growth  of  wild  rice,  reeds,  and  rushes.  It  is  called 
^lonoraiua,*  by  the  Chippewas.  By  this  accession,  the  width  and 
depth  of  the  river  are  strikingly  increased.  The  Indian  reed  first 
appears  at  this  spot. 

While  passing  through  this  part  of  the  river,  I  observed  a  sin- 
gular trait  in  the  habits  of  the  onzig  duck,  which,  on  being 
suddenly  surprised  by  the  traveller,  affects  for  the  moment  to  be 
disabled;  flapping  its  wings  on  the  water,  as  if  it  could  not  rise, 
in  order  to  allow  its  brood,  who  are  now  (July)  unfledged,  to 
escape,  when  the  mother  instantly  rises  from  the  water,  and  wings 
her  flight  vigorously.  We  observed,  sailing  above  the  marshy 
areas  of  this  fork,  the  falco  furcatus,  the  feathers  of  which  are 
much  esteemed  by  the  Indians,  for  this  is  considered  a  brave 
species,  as  its  habit  is  to  seize  serpents  by  the  neck,  who  twist 
themselves  around  its  elongated  body,  while  it  flies  off  to  some 
convenient  perch  to  devour  them.  The  deer  is  also  noticed  along 
the  Itascan  fork.  Ozawindib  landed  a  little  below  the  junction 
of  the  Chemaun,  to  fire  at  one  of  them,  which  he  discovered 
grazing  at  some  distance ;  but,  although  he  carefully  landed  and 
crept  up  crouchingly,  he  failed  in  his  shot,  either  from  the  dis- 
tance or  some  other  cause.  Immediately,  he  put  a  fresh  charge  of 
powder  in  his  gun,  and  threw  in  a  bullet,  unwadded,  and  fired  again 
before  the  animal  had  made  many  leaps,  but  it  held  its  way. 

We  descended  about  eighteen  miles  below  the  Piniddiwin,  and 
landed  to  encamp.  The  day's  descent  had  been  an  arduous  one. 
Lieut.  Allen  estimated  it  at  seventy-five  miles.  We  had  now 
fairly  followed  the  Mississippi  out  of  what  may  be  denoted  its 
Alpine  passes.  All  its  dangerous  rapids  had  been  overcome.  It 
was  now  a  flowing  stream  of  sixty  feet  wide.  Immediately  on 
landing,  one  of  the  Indians  captured  an  animal  of  the  saurian 
type,  called  ocaut-e-hinalic,\  eight  inches  in  length,  striped  blue, 
black,  and  white,  with  four  legs  of  equal  length.  The  colors 
were  very  vivid. 

Having  reached  a  part  of  the  stream  which  could  be  safely 
navigated,  I  resolved  to  re-embark  after  supper,  and  continue  the 
descent  by  night.     We  were  now  about  fifteen  miles  above  the 

*  From  Monominakauning,  place  of  ■mid  rice. 
I  From  ocaut,  a  leg,  and  kinabic,  a  snake. 


250  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

primary  forks.  Lieut.  Allen  determined  to  remain  till  daylight, 
in  order  to  trace  the  river  down  to  the  point  at  which  it  had  been 
left  in  the  ascent.  Nothing  of  an  untoward  nature  occurred.  A 
river  of  some  size  enters,  on  the  left  hand,  about  six  miles  below 
the  saurian  encampment,  which  originates  in  a  lake.  This  stream, 
for  which  I  heard  no  name,  I  designated  AUenoga,  putting  the 
Iroquois  local  terminal  in  oga  to  the  name  of  the  worthy  officer 
who  traced  out  the  first  true  map  of  the  actual  sources  of  the 
Mississippi.*  We  passed  the  influx  of  the  east  fork,  about  half- 
past  one  A.M.  on  the  15th, traversed  the  Lake  of  Queen  Anne,  and 
descended  the  whole  series  of  the  Metoswa  rapids,  to  Lake  An- 
drusia,  by  the  hour  of  daybreak,  and  reached  the  island  of  my 
primary  encampment,  in  Cass  Lake,  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
We  had  been  eleven  hours  and  a  half  in  our  canoes,  from  the  time 
of  re-embarkation  at  the  camp  above  Allenoga.  Lieut.  Allen  did 
not  rejoin  us  till  six  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  He  estimated  the 
entire  distance,  out  and  m,  at  290  miles,  it  being  125  miles  to 
Itasca  Lake,  and,  as  before  intimated,  165  miles  from  thence  to 
Cass  Lake.  He  estimates  the  length  of  the  Mississippi,  above  the 
Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  at  1,029  miles.  Taking  the  distance  from 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to  the  Falls  at  2,200  miles,t  this  would  give 
to  this  stream  a  development  of  3,229  miles,  which  exceeds  my 
prior  estimates  more  than  fifty  miles. 

*  Lieut.-Col.  James  Allen,  U.  S.  A.  This  officer  graduated  at  West  Point  in  1825. 
After  passing  through  various  grades,  he  was  promoted  to  a  captaincy  of  infantry  in 
1837.  He  was  lieutenant-colonel  and  commandant  of  the  battalion  of  Mormon 
volunteers  in  the  Mexican  war,  which  was  raised  by  his  exertions,  and  died  at  Fort 
Leavenworth,  on  the  Missouri,  on  the  23d  of  August,  1846. 

t  Doc.  No.  237. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  251 


CHAPTER    XXY. 

The  expedition  proceeds  to  strike  the  source  of  the  great  Crow-Wing  River,  by  the 
Indian  trail  and  line  of  interior  portages,  by  way  of  Leech  Lake,  the  seat  of  the 
warlike  tribe  of  the  Pillagers,  or  Jlukundwa. 

Having,  wliile  at  Sandy  Lake,  summoned  the  Indians  to  meet 
me  in  council  at  the  mouth  of  the  L'aile  de  Corheau,  or  Crow-AVing 
River,  on  the  20th  of  July,  no  time  was  to  be  lost  in  proceeding  to 
that  place.  The  15th,  being  the  Sabbath,  was  spent  at  the  island, 
where  the  Rev.  Mr.  Boutwell  addressed  the  Indians.  The  next 
day,  I  met  the  Cass  Lake  band  in  council,  and,  having  finished 
that  business,  rewarded  the  Indians  for  their  services  and  canoes 
on  the  trip  to  Itasca  Lake,  distributed  the  presents  designed  for 
them,  replied  to  a  message  from  Nezhopenais  of  Red  Lake,  and 
invested  Ozawindib  with  the  President's  largest  silver  medal  and 
a  flag,  and  was  ready  by  10  o'clock  A.  M.  to  embark.  Dr. 
Houghton  employed  the  time  to  complete  his  vaccinations.  I 
rewarded  Mr.  Default  for  taking  charge  of  my  camp  during  the 
journey  to  Itasca  Lake.  As  well  to  shorten  the  line  of  travel  as 
to  visit  an  entirely  unexplored  section  of  the  country,  I  resolved 
to  pursue  the  Indian  trail  and  line  of  interior  portages  from  Cass 
to  Leech  Lake,  and  from  the  latter  to  the  source  of  the  great  Crow- 
Wing  fork. 

Passing  southwardly  across  the  lake,  between  Red  Cedar  and 
Garden  Islands,  we  have  a  prolonged  bay  running  deep  into  the 
land,  toward  the  south.  This  bay  is  in  the  direct  line  to  Leech 
Lake;  and  as  it  had  been  crossed  on  the  ice  in  January,  1806,  by 
Lieutenant  Pike,  in  his  adventurous  and  meritorious  journey  of 
exploration,  I  called  it  Pike's  Bay.  It  was  twelve  o'clock,  meri- 
dian, when  we  debarked  at  its  head.  The  portage  commenced 
on  the  edge  of  an  open  pine  forest,  interspersed  with  scrub  oak. 
The  path  is  deeply  worn,  in  the  sand-plain,  and  looks  as  if  it  had 


252  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

been  trod  by  the  Indians  for  centuries.  I  observed,  as  we  passed 
along,  the  alum  root,  hyacinthus,  and  sweet  fern,  with  the  ledum 
latifolium,  vaccinium  dumosum,  and  more  common  species  of  pine 
plains.  The  pinus  resinosa  assumes  here  a  larger  size,  and  the 
Indians  pointed  out  to  me  markings  and  pictographs  drawn  with 
charcoal,  and  covered  with  the  resin  of  the  tree,  which  were  made 
by  the  Indian  tribe  who  preceded  them  in  the  occupancy  of  the 
sources  of  the  Mississippi.  This  must  have  been,  if  I  rightly  ap- 
prehend their  history,  prior  to  A.  D.  1600.  That  such  markings 
should  be  preserved  by  the  pitch,  which  sheds  the  rain,  is,  how- 
ever, probable.  They  were  of  the  totemic  character,  i.  e.  relating 
to  the  exploits  or  achievements  of  groups  of  families,  in  which 
the  individual  actor  sinks  his  specific  in  the  generic  family  or 
clan  name.  Antiquities  of  this  character  are  certainly  a  new 
feature  in  Indian  history.  Letters  have  perfectly  preserved  the 
landing  of  Car  tier  at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence  in  153-i. 
Pictography  here  records,  that  certain  clans  had  killed  bears  and 
taken  human  scalps  before  that  time.  And  the  fact  is  deeply 
important  in  shedding  light  on  Indian  history  and  character ;  for 
the  killing  of  deers  and  bears,  and  the  taking  of  human  scalps,  is 
precisely  what  these  tribes  are  doing  at  the  present  time.  In  the 
three  hundred  years'  interval,  they  have  made  no  mental  progress. 
The  Chippewa  is  just  as  fierce  to-day,  in  hunting  a  Dacota  scalp, 
as  the  Dacota  is  in  hunting  a  Chippewa  scalp.  The  conquering 
tribe  has,  however,  pushed  the  Dacotas  nearly  one  thousand  miles 
down  the  Mississippi. 

"  Talk  of  your  Hannibals,  Napoleons,  and  Alps, 
My  glory,"  quoth  the  feathered  hunter,  "is  in  scalps." 

After  following  the  deeply  indented  path  nine  hundred  and 
fifty  yards,  we  reached  a  small  lake  which  disclosed,  as  we  passed 
it,  patches  of  a  dark,  coarse,  mossy-like  substance  at  its  bottom. 
On  reaching  down  with  their  paddles,  the  men  brought  up  a  sin- 
gular species  of  aquatic  plant  with  coral-shaped  branches.  After 
crossing  this  lake,  the  pine  plain  resumed  its  former  character. 
There  was  then  a  shallow  bog  of  fifty  or  sixty  yards.  The  rest 
of  the  path  consists  of  an  arid  sand  plain,  which  is  sometimes 
brushy,  but  generally  presents  dry,  easy  travelling.  We  had 
walked  four  thousand  one  hundred  yards,  or  about  two  and  a 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION".  253 

half  miles,  when  we  reached  an  elongated  body  of  clear  living 
water,  haxning  its  outflow  into  Leech  Lake.  Embarking  on  this, 
we  crossed  it,  and  entered  a  narrow  stream,  winding  about  in  a 
shaking  savanna,  where  it  was  found  difficult  to  veer  the  large 
five-fathom  canoes  in  which  we  now  travelled.  This  tortuous 
stream  was  joined  by  a  tributary  from  the  right,  and  at  no  remote 
distance,  entered  an  elongated  duplicate  body  of  water,  named  by 
the  Indians  KapiJm  Sagatmcag,  or  the  Abrupt  Discharges.'^ 
Below  the  junction  of  these  lakes,  which  appear  to  be  outbursts 
from  the  Hauteur  de  Terre  range,  the  stream  is  a  wide-flowing 
river.  Its  shores  abound  in  sedge,  reeds,  and  wild  rice.  The  last 
glimpses  of  daylight  left  us  as  this  broad  river  entered  into 
Leech  Lake.  Moonlight  still  served  us,  as  we  began  the  traverse 
of  this  spreading  sea,  but  it  soon  became  overcast,  and  it  was  in- 
tensely dark  before  we  reached  the  recurved  point  of  land  of  the 
principal  chief's  village.  It  was  now  ten  o'clock  at  night,  and  it 
was  eleven  before  the  military  canoes,  under  Lieutenant  Allen, 
came  up.  In  the  morning  a  salute  was  fired  by  the  Indians,  who 
welcomed  us.  Aishkebuggekozh,f  or  the  Flat-mouth,  the  reign- 
ing chief,  invited  me  to  breakfast.  As  this  chief  exercises  a  kind 
of  imperial  sway  over  the  adjacent  country,  it  was  important  to 
respect  him.  Having  sent  a  dish  of  hard  bread  before  me,  I  took 
my  interpreter  and  went  to  his  residence.  I  found  him  living  in 
a  tenement  built  of  logs,  with  two  rooms,  well  floored  and  roofed, 
with  two  small  glass  windows.  At  one  end  of  the  breakfast-room 
were  extended  his  flags,  medals,  and  warlike  paraphernalia.  In 
the  centre  of  the  floor,  a  large  mat  of  rushes,  or  Indian-woven 
apuTcica  was  spread,  and  upon  this  the  breakfast  and  breakfast 
things  were  arranged  in  an  orderly  manner.  There  were  teacups, 
teaspoons,  plates,  knives  and  forks,  all  of  plain  English  manufac- 
ture. A  salt-cellar  contained  salt  and  pepper  mixed  in  unequal 
proportions.  There  were  just  as  many  plates  as  expected  guests. 
A  large  white  fish,  boiled,  and  cut  up  in  good  taste,  occupied 
a  dish  in  the  centre.  There  was  a  dish  of  sugar  made  from 
the   acer  saccharinum.     There  were  no  stools,  or   chairs,   but 

*  From  the  viord  puJca,  abrupt  phenomenon,  and  the  verb  saitji,  outflowing, 
f  From  Aizhenagozze,  countenance,  and  kozh,  a  bill  of  a  bird,  or  snout  of  an  ani- 
mal.    The  word  is  appropriately  translated  guelU  by  the  Canadians. 


254  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

small  apukwa  mats  were  spread  for  each,  guest.  I  observed  the 
dish  of  hard  bread,  which  came  opportunely,  as  there  was  no 
other  representative  form  of  bread.  The  chief  sat  down  at  the  head 
of  his  breakfast,  in  the  oriental  fashion.  Imitating  his  example, 
I  sat  down  with  a  degree  of  repose  and  nonchalance,  as  if  this 
had  been  the  position  I  had  practised  from  childhood.  His  em- 
press— Equa,*  sat  on  one  side,  near  him,  to  pour  out  the  tea,  but 
neither  ate  nor  drank  anything  herself.  Her  position  was  also 
that  of  the  oriental  custom  for  females ;  that  is,  both  feet  were 
thrown  to  one  side,  and  doubled  beside  her.f  The  chief  helped 
■us  to  fish  and  to  tea,  taking  the  cups  from  his  wife.  He  was  dig- 
nified, gi'ave,  yet  easy,  and  conversed  freely,  and  the  meal  passed 
off  agreeably  and  without  a  pause,  or  the  slightest  embarrass- 
ment. This  was,  perhaps,  owing  in  part  to  my  having  been  ac- 
quainted with  him  before,  he  having  visited  me  at  my  agency  at 
Sault  Ste.  Marie  in  1828,  and  sat  as  a  guest  at  my  own  table. 
Nor,  in  a  people  so  loath  to  give  their  confidence  as  the  Indian,  is 
the  fact  undeserving  of  mention,  of  general  affiliation  to  the  tribe, 
caused  by  my  marriage  with  a  granddaughter  of  the  ruling  chief 
of  Lake  Superior,  a  lady  of  refinement  and  intelligence,  who  was 
the  child  of  a  gentleman  of  Antrim,  Ireland,  where  she  was  edu- 
cated. 

On  rising  to  leave,  I  invited  him  to  a  council,  at  my  tent, 
which  was  ordered  to  assemble  at  the  firing  of  the  military.  It 
is  not  unimportant  to  observe,  that,  in  preparing  to  set  out  on  this 
expedition  into  the  Indian  country,  at  a  time  when  the  Black- 
hawk  had  raised  the  standard  of  revolt  on  Eock  Eiver,  and  the 
tribes  of  the  Upper  Mississippi  were  believed  to  be  extensively 
in  his  views,  I  had  caused  my  canoe,  after  it  had  been  finished  in 
most  perfect  style  of  art  known  to  this  kind  of  vessel,  to  be 
painted  with  Chinese  vermilion,  from  stem  to  stern.  Ten  years' 
residence  among  the  tribes,  in  an  official  capacity,  had  convinced 
me  that  fear  is  the  controlling  principle  of  the  Indian  mind,  and 
that  the  persuasions  to  a  life  of  peace,  are  most  effectively  made 
under  the  symbols  of  war.     To  beg,  to  solicit,  to  creep  and  cringe 

*  Equa,  a  female ;  it  is  not,  appropriately,  the  term  of  wife,  for  which  the  vo- 
cabulary has  a  peculiar  term,  but  is  generally  employed  in  the  sense  of  woman. 

•j-  I  have  observed  this  to  be  the  universal  custom  among  all  the  aboriginal  fe- 
males of  America.     They  never  part  the  feet. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  255 

to  tliis  race,  whether  in  public  or  private,  is  a  delusive,  if  not  a 
fatal  course ;  and  though  I  was  told  by  one  or  two  of  my  neigh- 
bors that  it  was  not  well,  on  this  occasion,  to  put  my  canoe  in 
the  symbolic  garb  of  war,  I  did  not  think  so.  I  carried,  indeed, 
emphatically,  messages  of  peace  from  the  executive  head  of  the 
Government,  and  had  the  means  of  insuring  respect  for  these 
messages,  by  displaying  the  symbol  of  authority  at  the  stern  of 
each  vessel,  by  an  escort  of  soldiery,  and  by  presents,  and  the 
services  of  a  physician  to  arrest  one  of  the  most  fatal  of  diseases 
which  have  ever  afflicted  the  Indian  race.  But  I  carried  them  fear- 
lessly and  openly,  with  the  avowed  purpose  of  peace.  The  canoe, 
itself,  was  an  emblem  of  this  authority,  and,  like  the  orifiamme 
of  the  Mediaeval  Ages,  cast  an  auspicious  influence  on  my  mission 
over  these  bleak  and  wide  summits,  lakes,  and  forests,  inhabited 
alone  by  fierce  and  predatory  tribes,  who  acknowledged  no  power 
but  force.  Long  before  I  had  reached  the  sources  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, St.  Train,  my  fellow  agent,  had  been  most  cruelly  murdered 
at  his  agency,  and  General  Scott,  with  the  whole  disposable  army 
of  the  United  States,  had  taken  the  field  at  Chicago. 

Lieut.  Allen  paraded  his  men  that  morning  with  burnished 
arms.  We  could  not,  jointly,  in  an  emergency,  muster  over  forty 
men,  of  whom  a  part  were  not  reliable  in  a  melee,  but  arranged 
our  camp  in  the  best  manner  to  produce  effect.  Effect,  indeed,  it 
required,  when  the  hour  of  the  council  came.  Not  less  than  one 
thousand  souls,  men,  women,  and  children,  surrounded  my  tent, 
including  a  special  deputation  from  the  American  borders  of 
Eainy  Lake.  Of  these,  two  hundred  were  active  young  warriors, 
who  strode  by  with  a  bold  and  lofty  air,  and  glistening  eyes,  often 
lifting  the  wings  of  my  tent,  to  scan  the  preparations  going  for- 
ward. Aishkebuggekozh  entered  the  council  area,  having  in  his 
train  ^Majegabowi,  the  man  who  had  led  the  revolt  in  the  Red 
River  settlement  of  Lord  Selkirk,  and  who  had  tomahawked  Gov. 
Semple,  after  he  fell  wounded  from  his  horse.  This  association 
did  not  smack  of  peaceful  designs.  The  chief,  Aishkebuggekozh, 
himself,  has  the  countenance  of  a  very  ogre.  He  is  over  six  feet 
high,  very  brawny,  and  stout.  That  feature  of  his  countenance 
from  which  he  is  named  Flat-mouth,  consisting  of  a  broad  expan- 
sion and  protrusion  of  the  front  jaws,  between  the  long  incision 
of  the  mouth,  reminds  one  much  of  a  bull-dog's  jaw.     He  held  in 


256  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

"his  hand,  suspended  by  ribbons,  five  silver  medals,  smeared  with 
vermilion,  to  symbolize  blood. 

A  person  not  familiar  with  Indian  symbols,  might  deem  such 
signs  alarming.  1  knew  him  to  be  very  fond  of  using  these  sym- 
bols, and,  indeed,  a  man  who  never  made  a  speech  without  them; 
and  I  had  the  fullest  confidence  that,  while  he  aimed  to  produce 
the  fullest  effect  upon  his  listening,  but  less  shrewd  tribe  of  folks, 
and  upon  all,  indeed,  he  never  dreamed  of  an  act  which  should 
bring  him  into  conflict  with  the  United  States.  Like  Blackhawk, 
who  was  now  exciting  and  leading  the  tribes  at  lower  points  to 
war,  he  had,  from  his  youth,  been  in  the  British  interests.  He 
displayed  a  British  flag  at  his  breakfast,  and  three  of  his  medals 
were  of  British  coinage,  but  he  was  a  man  of  far  more  compre- 
hensive mind  and  understanding  than  Blackhawk, 

Having  been,  as  a  government  agent,  the  medium  of  the  agree- 
ment of  the  Chippewas  and  Sioux  in  fixing  on  a  boundaiy  line 
for  their  respective  territories  at  the  treaty  of  Prairie-du-Chien,  in 
1825, 1  made  that  agreement,  on  the  present  occasion,  the  basis  of 
my  remarks,  for  their  preserving  in  good  faith  the  stipulations  of 
that  treaty,  and  of  renewing  the  principles  of  it  in  the  points 
where  they  had  since  been  broken  and  violated.  I  concluded  by 
assuring  them  of  the  friendship  of  the  United  States,  of  which  my 
visit  to  this  remote  region  must  be  deemed  proof,  and  of  the  sin- 
cerity with  which  I  had  communicated  the  words  of  the  President. 
The  presents  were  then  delivered  and  distributed. 

Aishkebuggekozh,  or  the  Guelle  Plat,  replied,  with  much  of  the 
skill  and  force  of  Indian  oratory.  He  began  by  calling  the  atten- 
tion of  the  warriors  to  his  words ;  he  then  turned  to  me,  thanking 
me  for  the  presents.  He  said  that  he  had  been  present  when  Pike 
visited  this  lake  in  1806.  He  pointed  with  his  fingers  across  the 
lake,  to  the  Ottertail  Point,  where  the  old  trading  house  of  the 
British  Northwest  Company  had  stood.  "You  have  come,"  he 
continued,  "to  remind  us  that  the  American  flag  is  now  flying 
over  the  country,  and  to  offer  us  counsels  of  peace.  I  thank  you. 
I  have  heard  that  voice  before,  but  it  was  like  a  rushing  wind.  It 
was  strong,  but  soon  went.  It  did  not  remain  long  enough  to 
choke  up  the  path.  At  the  treaty  of  Prairie-du-Chien,  it  had  been 
promised  that  whoever  crossed  the  lines,  the  long  arms  of  the 
President  should  pull  them  back ;  but,  that  very  year,  the  Sioux 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION,  257 

attacked  iis,  and  they  have  killed  my  people  almost  every  year 
since.  I  was  myself  present  when  they  fired  on  a  peaceful 
delegation,  and  killed  four  Chippewas  under  the  walls  of  Fort 
Snelling.  My  own  sou — my  only  sou — has  been  killed.  lie  was 
basely  killed,  without  an  opportunity  to  defend  himself."  A  sub- 
ordinate here  handed  him,  at  his  request,  a  bundle  of  small  sticks. 
"This,"  handing  them  to  me,  "is  the  number  of  Leech  Lake  Chip- 
pewas killed  by  the  Sioux  since  the  treaty  of  Prairie-du-Chien." 
There  were  forty-three  sticks. 

He  then  lifted  up  a  string  of  silver  medals,  smeared  with  ver- 
milion. "Take  notice,  they  are  bloody.  I  wish  you  to  wipe  the 
blood  off.  I  cannot  do  it.  I  find  myself  in  a  war  with  this  people, 
and  I  believe  it  has  been  intended  by  the  Creator  that  we  should 
be  at  war  with  them.  My  warriors  are  brave  [looking  significantly 
at  them] ;  it  is  to  them  that  I  owe  success.  But  I  have  looked  for 
help  where  I  did  not  find  it."'-^' 

*  It  is  hoped,  hei'eafter,  to  give  further  sketches  of  this  interview,  and  of  tins 
chief's  life  and  character. 


17 


258  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 


CHAPTER   XXYI. 

Geogi'apliical  account  of  Leech  Lake — History  of  its  Imlians,  the  Mukundwas — 
The  expedition  proceeds  to  the  source  of  tlie  Crow-Wing  River,  and  descends 
that  stream,  in  its  whole  length,  to  the  Jlississippi. 

Leech  Lake  is  a  large,  deep,  and  very  irregularly-shaped  body 
of  water.  It  cannot  be  less  than  twenty  miles  across  its  extreme 
points.  I  requested  the  chief  to  draw  its  outlines,  furnishing  a 
sheet  of  foolscap.  He  began  by  tracing  a  large  ellipsis,  and  then 
projecting  large  points  and  bays,  inwardly  and  outwardly,  with 
seven  or  eight  islands,  and  that  peculiar  feature,  the  Kapuka 
Sagotawa,  which  I  apprehend  to  originate  in  gigantic  springs. 
The  following  eccentric  figure  of  the  lake  is  the  result. 

This  lake  has  been  the  seat  of  the  Mukundwa,  or  Pillagers, 
from  early  days.  The  date  of  their  occupancy  is  unknown.  The 
French  found  them  here  early  in  the  seventeenth  century,  when 
they  began  to  push  the  fur  trade  from  Montreal.  They  were  the 
advance  of  the  Algonquin  group,  who,  when  they  had  reached 
the  head  of  Lake  Superior,  proceeded  still  towards  the  west  and 
northwest.  Two  separate  bodies  assumed  the  advance  in  this 
migratory  movement,  one  of  which  went  from  the  north  shore, 
at  the  old  Grand  Portage,  north-northwest,  by  the  way  of  the 
Rainy  Lakes,  and  the  other  went  northwest  from  Fond  du  Lac. 
The  former  soon  earned  for  themselves  the  title  of  Killers,  or 
Kenistenos,*  and  speak  a  distinct  dialect ;  the  other,  whose 
language  continued  to  be,  with  little  variations,  good  Odjibwa, 
acquired  in  a  short  time  the  name  of  Takers,  or  Mukundwa.  The 
Kenistenos  advanced,  through  the  Great  Lake  Winnepeck,  and 
up  its  inflowing  waters,  to  the  Portage  du  Trait,  of  the  great 
Churchill  or  Missi-nepi  (much  water)  River,  where  they  sent  up 

*  Called  by  the  Fi-ench  Crees. 


NAREATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION". 


259 


a  skinned  frog,  in  derision  of  the  feebler  Athapasca  race,  whom 
they  here  encountered.     Mackenzie s  Yoyages^  p.  Ixxiii.  Hist.  Fnr 


Leech  Lake.— <7,  Rush  Bay;  b.  Leech  Lake  River;  c,  Three  Points;  d,  Boy's 
River;  e,  Bear  Island;  /,  Pelican  Island;  g,  Two  Points;  h,  Ottertail  Point;  i. 
Chippewa  Village;  y,  Sugar  Point;  k,  Carp  River;  I,  Old  N.  W.  House;  m,  Goose 
Island;  n,  Encampment,  July  16;  o,  Trading  House  Am.  P.  Co.;  p,  Flatmouth's 
House;  q,  Chippewa  Village;  r,  Encampment,  July  17;  s,  s.  Route  to  Crow- Wing 
River;  t,  Sandy  Point;  w,  Big  Point;  v,  Sandy  Bay  River. 


260  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

Trade.  The  Odjibwas  were  led  from  Chegoimegon,  in  Lake  Supe- 
rior, by  two  noted  cliiefs,  called  Nokay  and  Bains wah,  under  whom 
they  drove  the  Sioux  from  the  region  of  Sandy  Lake  and  the 
source  of  the  Mississippi.     {Ethmological  Researches^  vol.  ii.  p.  135.) 

Another  party  of  this  Algonquin  force,  which  conquered  the 
country  lying  round  the  sources  of  the  Mississippi,  proceeded 
through  the  Turtle  River  to  Red  Lake,  and  thence  descended  into 
the  valley  of  the  Red  River  of  Hudson's  Bay,  where  their 
descendants  still  reside.  Large  portions  of  these  mingled  with 
the  Canadian  stock,  forming  that  remarkable  people  called  Bois- 
brules.  These  advanced  parties  pressed  into  the  buffalo  plains, 
along  the  Rivers  Assinabwoin  and  Saskatchawine,  which  is  the 
ultimate  western  area  of  the  spread  of  the  Algonquin  language. 
And  to  this  migration  the  Blackfeet  are  believed  to  be  indebted 
for  the  intermixture  of  this  language  which  exists,  and  which 
Mr.  Gallatin  has  erroneously  supposed  to  arise  from  original  ele- 
ments, in  the  Blackfeet  tongue. 

This  lake  yields  in  abundance  the  corregonus  albus,  a  fish 
which  is  unknown  to  the  Mississippi,  and  which  delights  only, 
it  appears,  in  very  limpid  and  cold  waters. 

I  found  the  population  living  at  this  lake  to  be  eight  hundred 
and  thirty-two  souls,  under  three  chiefs,  the  Quelle  Plat,  Nesia,  or 
the  Elder  Brother,  and  Chianoquet,  or  the  Big  Cloud,  the  latter 
of  whom  is  exclusively  a  war  chief.  Having  dined  these  chiefs 
at  my  tent,  and  finished  my  business,  and  the  vaccinations  and 
very  numerous  cases  of  odontalgia  being  got  through  with,  I 
directed  my  canoes  to  be  put  in  the  water,  with  the  view  of  going 
a  few  miles  down  the  shore,  in  order  to  get  a  quiet  night's 
encampment,  and  be  ready  for  an  early  start  on  the  morrow.  It 
was  near  the  hour  of  sunset  before  we  could  embark.  Aiskebug- 
gekozh  came  down  to  the  boat  to  take  leave  of  rae.  He  was 
dressed,  on  this  occasion  (liaving  been  in  Indian  costume  all  the 
morning),  in  a  blue  military  frock  coat,  with  scarlet  collar  and 
cuffs,  white  underclothes,  a  ruffled  shirt,  shoes  and  stockings,  and 
a  citizen's  hat.  He  was  accompanied  by  Nesia  and  other  fol- 
lowers, and  it  appeared  to  me  if  there  ever  was  a  person  who 
had  popular  and  undisputable  claims  to  imperial  sway,  notwith- 
standing this  poor  taste  in  costume,  it  was  he. 

We  went  about  five  miles  in  the  general  direction  towards 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION,  261 

the  source  of  the  L'ail  de  Corbeau,  and  encamped,  Dr,  Houghton, 
who  had  been  left  behind  with  Lieut,  Allen,  to  complete  the  vac- 
cinations, rejoined  me  about  seven  o'clock.  Guelle  Plat  had  pro- 
mised to  send  me  guides,  to  cross  the  country  to  the  Crow-Wing 
Eiver,  early  the  next  morning  (18th),  but,  as  they  did  not  arrive, 
I  proceeded  across  the  arm  of  the  lake  for  the  main  shore  without 
them.  After  reacliing  it,  some  time  was  spent  in  searching  for 
the  commencement  of  the  portage  path.  It  was  found  to  lie 
across  a  dry  pine  plain.  The  Canadians,  who  are  quick  on  find- 
ing the  trail  of  a  portage,  wanted  nothing  more,  but  pushed  on, 
canoes  and  baggage,  without  any  further  trouble  about  the  Indian 
guides.  A  portage  of  1,078  yards  brought  us  to  the  banks  of  a 
small,  clear,  shallow  lake,  called  Warpool,  which  had  a  very  nar- 
row, tortuous  outlet,  through  which  the  men,  with  great  difficult}^, 
and  by  cutting  away  acute  turns  of  the  bank  with  their  paddles, 
made  way  to  force  the  canoes  into  Little  Long  Lake,  which  we 
were  twenty -four  minutes  in  crossing.  The  outlet  from  this  lake 
expanded,  at  successive  intervals,  into  three  pond-like  lakes,  re- 
dolent with  the  nymphfe  valerata;  the  series  terminating  in  a 
fourth  lake,  lying  at  the  foot  of  elevated  lands,  which  was  called 
the  Lake  of  the  Mountain.  At  the  head  of  the  latter,  we  de- 
barked on  a  shaking  bog.  At  this  spot  commences  the  portage 
P/e,  Avhich  lies  over  a  woodless  and  bleak  hill.  It  is  short  and 
abrupt,  and  terminates  on  the  banks  of  a  deep  bowl-shaped  lake, 
■where  we  took  breakfast  at  twelve  o'clock.  We  were  now  at  the 
foot  of  elevated  lands.  Here  began  the  mountain  portage,  so 
called.  Its  extent  is,  first,  nine  hundred  and  ten  yards,  terminat- 
ing on  the  shores  of  a  little  lake,  without  outlet,  called  the  Lake  of 
the  Isle.  There  is  then  a  portage  of  1,960  yards  to  another 
mountain  lake,  without  outlet.  We  were  now  near  the  apex  of 
the  summit  between  Leech  Lake  and  the  source  of  De  Corbeau. 
Another  portage  of  one  onwaybee  or  about  a  thousand  yards, 
partly  through  a  morass,  carried  us  quite  across  this  summit,  and 
brought  us  out  on  elevated  and  highly  beautiful  grounds  over- 
looking the  Kaginogumaug,  or  Longwater  Lake,  which  is  the 
source  of  the  Crow- Wing  Eiver.     Here  we  encamped  (18th). 

There  is  no  rock  stratum  seen  in  place,  on  the  De  Corbeau 
summit.  Its  surface  is  purely  composed  of  geological  drift  and 
boulders.     The  journey  had  been  a  very  hard  and  fatiguing  one 


262  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

for  tlie  men,  who  were  on  the  push  and  trot  all  day,  embarking 
and  debarking  continually  on  lakes,  or  scrambling,  with  their 
burdens  and  canoes,  over  elevations  or  through  morasses.  It 
was  particularly  severe  on  the  soldiers,  who  are  ill-prepared  for 
this  kind  of  toil. 

The  chief  Quelle  Plat,  with  some  companions  of  the  Mukan- 
dwa  band,  had  overtaken  us,  at  the  Lake  of  the  Isle,  and  came 
and  encamped  beside  us.  I  invited  him  to  sup  with  us,  and  the 
evening  was  passed  in  conversing  with  him  on  various  topics.  I 
found  him  a  man  of  understanding  and  comprehensive  views, 
who  was  well  acquainted  with  the  history  of  his  people.  It  was 
twelve  o'clock  before  these  conversations  ended,  when  he  got  up 
to  go  to  his  camp  fire.  With  him  there  sat  Majegabowee,-'  a  tall, 
gaunt,  and  savage-looking  man  of  Eed  Eiver,  who  scarcely 
uttered  a  word,  but  sat  a  silent  listener  to  the  superior  powers  of 
conversation  and  reflection  of  his  chief.  But  I  could  not  look  at 
this  person  without  a  sense  of  horror,  when  I  reflected  that  in 
him  I  beheld  the  murderer  of  Gov.  Semple,  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Territory,  a  circumstance  which  I  have  previously  adverted 
to,  while  at  Leech  Lake.f 

Bidding  adieu  to  the  Leech  Lake  chief  the  next  morning  at  sun- 
rise (4  h,  45  m.),  after  giving  him  a  lancet,  with  directions  to  vacci- 
nate any  of  his  people  who  had  been  overlooked,  I  embarked  on 
the  Kaginogamaug.  This  is  a  beautiful  lake,  with  sylvan  shores 
and  crystal  water,  some  four  or  five  miles  long.  We  were  just 
forty  minutes,  with  full  paddles,  in  passing  it.  The  outlet  is 
narrow,  and  overhung  with  alders.  The  width  is  not  over  six 
feet,  with  good  depth,  but  the  turns  are  so  sudden,  and  the  stream 
so  thickly  overhung  with  foliage,  that  the  use  of  the  axe  and  the 
paddle  as  an  excavator  were  often  necessary.  It  then  expands 
into  a  lake,  called  Little  Yermilion,  which  is  fringed  with  a 
growth  of  birch  and  aspen,  with  pines  in  the  distance.  Its  outlet 
is  fully  doubled  in  width,  and  we  had  henceforth  no  more  embar- 
rassment  in   descending.     This  outlet   is  pursued  about  eight 

*  The  Fore-standing  man.  From  the  verb  viaja,  to  go,  ninabow,  I  stand,  and 
izzee,  a  person  or  man. 

•}•  For  an  account  of  this  transaction,  vide  Reports  of  the  Disputes  between  the 
Earl  of  Selkirk  and  the  Northwest  Company,  at  the  assizes  held  at  York,  Upper 
Canada,  Oct.  1818.     1  vol.  8vo.  pp.  664.     Montreal,  Casie  &  Mower,  1819. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  263 

miles.  I  noticed  the  tamarack  on  its  banks,  and  the  nymphae 
odorata,  scirpus  lacustris,  and  Indian  reed  on  the  margin.  It 
expands  into  Birch  Lake,  a  clear  sheet,  about  one  mile  long, 
with  pebbly  bottom,  interspersed  with  boulders.  A  short  outlet, 
in  which  we  passed  a  broken  fish-dam,  connects  it  with  Lac  Pie. 
This  lake  is  about  three  and  a  half  miles  long,  exhibiting  a  por- 
tion of  prairie  on  its  shores,  interspersed  with  small  pines.  From 
it,  there  is  a  portage  to  Ottertail  Lake,  the  eastern  source  of  Eed 
Kiver.  This  is  the  common  war  road  of  the  Mukundwa  against 
the  Sioux.  , 

On  coming  out  of  Lac  P16,  freshwater  shells  began  to  show 
themselves,  chiefly  species  of  naiades,  a  feature  in  the  natural  his- 
tory of  this  stream  which  is  afterwards  common;  but  I  observed 
none  of  much  size,  and  they  are  often  greatly  decorticated.  Four 
or  five  miles  lower,  we  entered  Assowa  Lake,  and  about  a  mile 
and  a  half  further,  Lac  Yieux  Desert,  or  Old  Gardon  Lake,  so 
called  from  the  remains  of  a  trading  station,  where  we  halted  for 
breakfast.  On  resuming  the  descent,  just  twenty  minutes  were 
required,  with  vigorous  strokes  of  the  paddle,  to  pass  it.  It  has 
an  outlet  about  two  miles  long,  when  the  stream  again  expands 
into  a  lake  of  considerable  size,  which  we  called  Summit  Lake. 
Thus  far,  we  had  been  passing  on  a  geological  plateau  of  the 
diluvial  character,  extending  southwest.  But  from  this  point  the 
course  of  the  river  veers,  at  first  towards  the  east  and  northeast, 
and,  after  a  wide  circuit,  to  the  southeast,  and  eventually  again 
to  the  southwest.  From  this  point,  rapids  begin  to  mark  its 
channel.  The  river,  consequently,  assumes  a  velocity  which, 
while  it  hurries  the  traveller  on,  increases  his  danger  of  running 
his  frail  bark  against  rocks  or  shoals.  We  had  been  driven  down 
this  accelerated  channel  two  hours  and  fifteen  minutes,  when  it 
expanded  into  a  sheet  called  Long  Kice  Lake.  This  is  some 
three  miles  in  length,  and,  at  a  very  short  distance  below  it,  the 
river  again  expands  into  a  considerable  lake,  which,  from  the 
circumstance  of  Lieut.  Allen  having  circumnavigated  it,  I  called 
Allen's  Lake.  He  found  it  the  recipient  of  a  small  river  from  the 
north.  It  is,  apparently,  the  largest  of  this  series  of  river  lakes 
below  the  Kaginogumaug.  While  crossing  it,  we  experienced  a 
very  severe  and  sudden  tempest  of  wind  and  rain,  accompanied 
by  most  severe  and  appalling  peals  of  thunder  and  vivid  light- 


264  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

uing.  Broad  ribbons  of  fire,  in  acute  angles,  appeared  to  rend 
the  skies.  Before  the  shore  could  be  reached,  the  tempest  had 
subsided,  so  sudden  was  its  development.  A  short  distance  below 
this,  the  river  makes  its  tenth  evolution,  in  the  shape  of  a  lake, 
on  which,  as  my  Indian  maps  gave  no  name,  I  bestowed  the  name 
of  Illigan.'^ 

*  From  inineeg,  men,  and  sagiegan,  lake,  signs  of  a  war  party  having  been  dis- 
covered at  this  place.  In  this  derivative,  the  usual  transition  of  w  to  Z  of  the  old 
Algonquin  is  made. 


NAEEATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION".  265 


CHAPTEE  XXVII. 

Complete  the  exploration  of  the  Crow- Wing  River  of  Minnesota — Indian  council — 
Reach  St.  Anthony's  Falls — Council  with  the  Sioux — Ascent  and  exploration  of 
the  River  St.  Croix  and  Misakoda,  or  Broulg,  of  Lake  Superior — Return  of  the 
party  to  St.  Mary's  Falls,  Michigan. 

At  Illigan  Lake,  large  oaks  and  elms  appear  in  the  forest ;  its 
banks  are  handsomely  elevated,  and  the  whole  country  puts  on 
the  appearance  of  being  well  adapted  to  cultivation.  We  landed 
to  obtain  a  shot  at  some  deer,  which  stood  temptingly  in  sight,  and 
were  impressed  with  the  sylvan  aspect  of  the  country.  While  in 
the  act  of  passing  out  of  the  lake  in  our  canoes,  a  small  fire  was 
observed  on  shore,  with  the  usual  signs  of  its  having  been  aban- 
doned in  haste  by  Indians,  who  had  been  lying  in  ambush. 
Every  appearance  seemed  to  justify  such  a  conclusion,  and  it  was 
evident  a  party  of  Sioux  had  been  concealed  waiting  the  descent 
of  Chippewas,  but,  on  observing  our  flag,  and  the  public  character 
of  the  party,  they  hastily  withdrew.  Our  men,  knowing  the  per- 
fidious and  cruel  character  of  this  tribe,  were  evidently  a  good  deal 
alarmed  at  these  signs.  We  had  been  one  hour  in  our  canoes, 
descending  the  river  with  the  double  force  of  current  and  paddles, 
when  the  river  was  found  again  expanded,  and  for  the  eleventh 
and  last  time,  in  a  lake,  which  the  natives  call  Kaitchebo  Sagatowa^ 
meaning  the  lake  through  one  end  of  which  the  river  passes.  As 
this  is  not  a  term,  however  graphic,  which  will  pass  into  popular 
use,  I  named  it  Lake  Douglas,  in  allusion  to  a  former  companion 
in  explorations  in  the  northwest.*  Ten  miles  below  this  lake, 
the  river  receives  its  first  considerable  tributary  in  Shell  Eiver, 
the  Aisisepi  of  the  Chippewas,  which  flows  in  from  the  right, 
from  the  slope  of  the  Hauteurs  des  Terres,  near  the  Ottertail  Lake. 
Below  this  tributary,  the  Crow-AViug  is  nearly  doubled  in  width, 

*  Professor  D.  B,  Douglas. 


266  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

and  there  is  no  further  fear  of  shallow  water.  "We  held  on  our 
way  for  a  distance  of  fourteen  miles  below  the  point  of  junction, 
and  encamped  on  the  right  hand  bank  at  eight  o'clock  P.M. 
It  had  rained  copiously  during  the  afternoon,  and  everything  in 
the  shape  of  kindhng  stuif  had  become  so  completely  saturated 
with  moisture,  that  it  was  quite  an  enterprise  in  the  men  to  light 
a  camp-fire.  Lieut.  Allen  did  not  reach  our  encampment  this 
night,  having  been  misled  in  Allen's  Lake,  and,  being  driven 
ashore  by  the  tempest,  he  encamped  in  that  quarter.  Presuming 
him  to  be  in  advance,  I  had  pushed  on,  to  a  late  hour,  and 
encamped  under  this  impression. 

The  next  morning  (20th),  we  set  off  from  our  camp  betimes, 
and,  having  now  a  full  flowing  river,  made  good  speed.  The 
river  passes  for  a  dozen  or  more  miles  through  a  willowy  low 
tract,  on  issuing  from  which  there  begins  a  series  of  strong  rapids. 
Twenty-four  of  these  rapids  were  counted,  which  were  called  the 
Metunna  Eapids.  Lieut.  Allen  estimates  that  they  occupy  thirty 
miles  of  the  channel  of  the  river.  Below  these  rapids,  the  river 
extends  to  a  mean  width  of  three  hundred  feet.  At  this  locality 
we  were  overtaken  by  Mr.  Allen,  at  about  two  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  and  were  thus  first  apprised  of  the  fact  that  he  had 
been  all  the  while  in  our  rear  instead  of  in  front. 

Twenty  miles  below  the  Metunna  Eapids,  Leaf  Eiver  flows 
in  from  the  right,  by  a  mouth  of  forty  yards  wide.  This  stream 
originates  in  Leaf  Lake,  and  is  navigable  sixty  miles  in  the 
largest  craft  used  by  the  traders.*  The  volume  of  the  Crow- Wing 
Eiver  is  constantly  increased  in  width  and  velocity  by  these 
accessions,  which  enabled  us  fearlessly  to  make  a  large  day's 
journey.  We  encamped  together  after  sunset,  on  an  elevated 
pine  bank,  having  descended  ninety  miles. 

The  21st,  we  were  early  in  motion,  the  river  presenting  a  broad 
rushing  mass  of  waters,  every  way  resembling  the  Mississippi 
itself.  On  reaching  within  twenty  miles  of  its  mouth,  we  passed, 
on  the  right  bank,  the  mouth  of  the  Long  Prairie  Eiver,f  a 
prime  tributary  flowing  from  the  great  Ottertail  slope,  which  has 

*  The  angle  of  country  above  Leaf  River,  on  the  Crow-AVing,  lias  been  proposed 
as  a  refuge  for  the  Menomonee  tribe,  of  Wisconsin,  for  whom  temporary  arrange- 
ments, at  least,  are  now  made,  on  the  head  of  Fox  River,  of  that  State. 

f  This  river  has  been  assigned  as  the  residence  of  the  Winnebago  Indians.  It 
is  the  present  seat  of  the  United  States  agency,  and  of  the  farming  and  mechanical 
establishment  for  that  tribe. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  267 

been,  time  out  of  miiul,  the  war  road  between  the  Chippewas  and 
Sioux ;  and  between  this  point  and  the  confluence  coming  in 
we  passed,  on  the  left  bank,  the  confluence  of  the  Kioshk,  or  Gull 
River,  through  which  there  is  a  communication,  by  a  series  of 
portages,  with  Leech  Lake* 

From  head  to  foot,  we  had  now  passed  through  the  valley  of 
the  De  Corbeau  River,  without  finding  in  it  the  permanent  loca- 
tion of  a  single  Indian.  We  had  not,  in  fact,  seen  even  a  tempo- 
rary wigwam  upon  its  banks.  The  whole  river  lies,  in  fact,  on  the 
war  road  between  the  two  large  rival  tribes  of  the  Chippewas  and 
Sioux.  It  is  entered  by  war  parties  from  either  side,  decked  out 
in  war-paints  and  feathers,  who  descend  either  of  its  tributaries,  the 
Leaf  and  Long  Prairie  Rivers.  The  Mukundwa  descends  the 
main  channel  from  the  Kaginogumaug  Lake  in  canoes.  On 
reaching  the  field  of  ambush,  these  canoes  are  abandoned,  and 
the  parties,  after  an  encounter,  haste  home  on  foot. 

From  this  deserted  and  uninhabited  state  of  the  valley  we 
were  the  more  surprised,  as  noon  drew  on,  to  descry  an  Indian 
canoe  ascending  the  river.  It  proved  to  be  spies  on  the  look-out, 
from  the  body  of  Chippewas  encamped  at  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
agreeably  to  my  invitation  at  Sandy  Lake.  After  mutual  recog- 
nitions, and  learning  that  we  were  near  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
Ave  resumed  our  descent  with  renewed  spirit,  and  soon  reached 
its  outflow  into  the  Mississippi,  and  crossed  it  to  the  point  at 
which  the  Indians  had  established  their  camp.  We  were  received 
with  yells  of  welcome.  It  occupied  an  eminence  on  the  east 
bank  of  the  Mississippi,  directly  opposite  to  the  mouth  of  the 
De  Corbeau.f     The  site  was  marked  by  a  flag  hoisted  on  a  tall 

*  Mr.  J.  J.  Nicolet  pursued  this  route  in  1836,  on  Lis  visit  to  tlie  sources  of  the 
Mississippi.      Vide  Senate  Doc.  No.  237.     Washington,  D.  C,  1843. 

f  Crow- Wing  River. — This  stream  is  the  largest  tributary  of  the  Mississippi 
above  the  falls  of  St.  Anthony.  It  enters  the  Mississippi  in  lat.  46°  15''  50^'', 
180  miles  above  the  latter,  and  145  miles  below  Sandy  Lake.  Government  first 
explored  it,  in  1832,  from  its  source  in  Lake  Kaginogumaug  to  its  mouth,  and  an 
accurate  map  of  its  channel,  and  its  eleven  lakes,  was  made  by  Lieut.  Allen, 
U.  S.  A.,  who  accompanied  the  party  as  topographer.  It  is  210  miles  in  length,  to 
its  source  in  Long  Lake.  The  island,  in  its  mouth,  is  about  three  miles  long,  and 
covered  with  hard-wood  timber.  The  whole  region  is  noted  for  its  pine  timber;  the 
lands  lie  in  gentle  ridges,  with  much  open  country ;  a  large  part  of  it  is  adapted 
to  agriculture,  and  there  is  much  hydraulic  power.  It  is  navigable  at  the  lowest 
stages  of  water,  about  80  miles,  and  by  small  boats  to  its  very  source. 


268  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION". 

staff.  The  Indians  fired  a  salute  as  we  landed,  and  pressed 
down  to  the  shore,  with  their  chiefs,  to  greet  us.  They  informed 
me  that  by  their  count  of  sticks,  of  the  time  appointed  by  me 
at  Sandy  Lake,  to  meet  them  at  this  spot,  would  be  out  this  day, 
and  I  had  the  satisfaction  of  being  told,  within  a  short  time  of 
my  arrival,  that  the  canoe,  with  goods  and  supplies,  from  Sandy 
Lake,  was  in  sight.  The  Indians  were  found  encamped  a  short 
distance  above  the  entrance  of  the  Nokasippi*  Eiver,  which  is  in 
the  line  of  communication  with  the  Mille  Lac  and  Eum  River 
Indians.  I  found  the  latter,  together  with  the  whole  Sandy  Lake 
Band,  encamped  here,  awaiting  my  arrival.  They  numbered  280 
souls,  of  whom  60  were  warriors. 

A  council  was  immediately  summoned,  to  meet  in  front  of  my 
tent,  at  the  appointed  signal  of  the  firing  of  the  military  ;  the 
business  of  my  mission  was  at  once  explained,  the  presents  dis- 
tributed, and  the  vaccinations  commenced.  Replies  were  made 
at  length,  by  the  eldest  chief,  Gros  Guelle,  or  Big  Snout ;  by 
Soangekumig,  or  the  Strong  Echoing  Ground  ;  by  Wabogeeg,  or 
the  White  Fisher ;  and  by  Nitumegaubowee,  or  the  First  Stand- 
ing Man.  The  business  having  been  satisfactorily  concluded,  the 
vaccination  finished,  and  having  still  a  couple  of  hours  of  daylight, 
I  embarked  and  went  down  the  Mississippi  some  ten  or  fifteen 
miles,  to  a  Mr.  Baker's  trading-house  at  Prairie  Piercie. 

At  this  place,  I  remained  encamped,  it  being  the  Sabbath  day, 
and  rested  on  the  22d,  which  had  a  good  effect  on  the  whole 
party,  engaged  as  it  had  been,  night  and  day,  in  pushing  its  way 
to  accomplish  certain  results,  and  it  prepared  them  to  spring  to 
their  paddles  the  more  cheerfully  on  Monday  morning.  Indeed, 
it  had  been  part  of  my  plan  of  travel,  from  the  outset,  to  give 
the  men  this  rest  and  opportunity  to  recruit  every  seventh  day, 
and  I  always  found  that  they  did  more  work  in  the  long  run, 
from  it.  I  had  also  engaged  them,  originally,  not  to  drink  any 
ardent  spirits,  promising  them,  however,  that  their  board  and  pot 
should  be  well  supplied  at  all  times.  And,  indeed,  although  I 
had  frequently  travelled  with  Canadian  canoemen,  I  never  knew 
a  crew  who  worked  so  cheerfully,  and  travelled  so  far,  per  diem, 
on  the  mean  of  the  week,  as  these  sis  days'  working  canoemen. 

*  From  Noka,  a  ruau's  name,  and  seebi,  a  river. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  269 

At  Mr.  Baker's,  170  miles  above  St.  Anthony's  Falls,  I  found  a 
stray  number  of  a  small  newspaper,  and  first  learned  the  state  of 
the  Sane  and  Fox  war.  The  chief,  Blackhawk,  had  crossed  the 
Mississippi,  to  enter  the  Eock  River  valley ;  had  murdered  Mr.  St. 
Vrain,  the  United  States  agent,  sustained  a  conflict  with  the  Illi- 
nois militia,  under  Major  Stillman,  fled  to  Lake  Gushkenong,  on 
the  head  of  Rock  River,  and  drawn  upon  his  movement  the 
United  States  army,  leaving,  at  last  accounts,  Generals  Atkinson 
and  Dodge  in  pursuit  of  him. 

Having  struck  the  Mississippi  at  the  point  where  the  prior 
narrative  describes  it  {vide  Chap  XII.),  it  becomes  unnecessary 
to  give  details  of  my  descent  to  St.  Anthony's  Falls.  Leaving 
Prairie  Piercie  on  the  23d,  two  days  were  employed  in  the  descent 
to  Fort  Snelling.  I  found  Captain  Wm.  R.  Jouett  in  command, 
who  received  me  with  courtesy  and  kindness,  and  offered  every 
facility,  in  the  absence  of  Mr.  Talliaferro,  the  United  States  Indian 
Agent,  for  laying  the  object  of  my  mission  before  the  Sioux.  He 
had  received  no  very  recent  intelligence  of  the  progress  of  the 
Sauc  war,  in  addition  to  that  which  I  had  learned  at  the  mouth  of 
the  De  Corbeau;  although  he  was  in  the  habit  of  sending  a  mail 
boat  or  canoe  twice  a  month  to  Prairie  du  Chien.* 

On  the  25th,  being  the  day  after  my  arrival,  I  met  the  assembled 
Sioux,  in  council,  at  the  Agency  House,  the  commanding  officer 
being  present,  and  having  finished  that  business,  and  finding  the 
Sioux  wholly  unconnected  with,  and  disapproving  the  proceed- 
ings of  Blackhawk  and  his  adherents,  I  embarked  early  the  next 
morning  on  my  return  to  Lake  Superior.  I  reached  the  mouth  of 
the  River  St.  Croix,  at  three  o'clock  P.  M.  on  the  26th,  and  having 
entered  the  sylvan  sheet  of  Lake  St.  Croix,  ascended  it  to  within  a 
few  miles  of  its  head,  and  encamped.  Lieut.  Allen  did  not  reach 
my  camp,  but  halted  for  the  night  some  seven  or  eight  miles  short.f 
This  lake  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  picturesque  sheets  of 

*  It  was  not  till  some  time  after  my  return  to  St.  Mary's  that  I  learned  of  the 
overthrow  of  the  chief  and  his  army,  and  his  being  taken  prisoner  at  the  battle  of 
the  Badaxe,  on  the  14th  of  August,  1832. 

■j-  United  States  soldiers  are  not  adapted  to  travelling  in  Indian  canoes.  Com- 
paratively clumsy,  formal,  and  used  to  the  comforts  of  good  quarters  and  shelter, 
they  flinch  under  the  activities  and  fatigue  of  forest  life,  and  2>nrticularly  of  that 
kind  of  life  and  toil,  which  consists  in  the  management  of  canoes,  and  the  carrying 


270  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

water  in  the  West,  being  from  two  to  three  miles  wide,  and  some 
four-and-twenty  or  thirty  in  length*  The  next  morning  I  reached 
the  head  of  the  lake  after  a  couple  of  hours  of  travel,  and,  by  a 
diligent  and  hard  day's  work,  during  which  we  passed  between 
perpendicular  walls  of  sonorous  trap-rock,  reached  and  encamped 
at  the  falls  of  St.  Croix,  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening.f  We 
were  now  about  fifty  miles  from  the  line  of  the  Mississippi  River. 
For  the  last  few  miles,  there  had  been  either  a  very  strong  current 
or  severe  eddies  of  water,  around  angular  masses  of  trap-rock; 
and  we  were  encamped  at  the  precise  foot  of  the  falls,  where  the 
river,  narrowed  to  some  fifty  feet,  breaks  its  way  through  trap- 
rock,  falling  some  fifty  feet  in  the  course  of  six  hundred  yards.  We 
had  been  carried,  at  a  tangent,  from  the  great  Mississippi  series 
of  the  Silurian  period,  beginning  at  St.  Anthony's  Falls,  to  the 
vitric  formations  of  trap  and  greenstone  of  the  Lake  Superior 

forward  canoes  and  baggage  over  bad  portages,  and  conducting  these  frail  vessels 
over  dangerous  rapids  and  around  falls.  No  amount  of  energy  is  sufficient  on  the 
part  of  the  officers  to  make  them  keep  up,  on  these  trips,  with  the  gay,  light,  and 
athletic  voyageur,  who  unites  the  activity  and  expertuess  of  the  Indian  with  the 
power  of  endurance  of  the  white  man.  Lieut.  Allen  deserves  great  credit,  as  an 
army  officer,  for  urging  his  men  forward  as  well  as  he  did  on  this  arduous  journey,  for 
they  were  a  perpetual  cause  of  delay  and  anxiety  to  me  and  to  him.  They  were 
relieved  and  aided  by  my  men  at  every  practicable  point ;  but,  having  the  re- 
sponsibility of  performing  a  definite  duty,  on  a  fixed  sum  of  money,  with  many 
men  to  feed  in  the  wilderness,  it  was  imperative  in  me  to  push  on  with  energy,  day 
in  and  day  out,  and  to  set  a  manful  example  of  diligence,  at  evei-y  point ;  and,  in- 
stead of  carping  at  my  rapidity  of  movement,  as  he  does  in  his  official  report  of 
the  ascent  of  the  St.  Croix,  he  having  every  supply  within  himself,  and  being,  more- 
over, in  a  friendly  tribe,  where  there  was  no  danger  from  Indian  hostilities,  he 
should  not  have  evinced  a  desire  to  control  my  encampments,  but  rather  given  his 
men  to  understand  that  he  could  not  countenance  their  dilatoriuess. 

*  It  is,  at  this  time,  a  part  of  the  boundai-y  between  the  State  of  AVisconsin  and 
the  Territory  of  Minnesota,  and  is  the  site  of  several  flourishing  towns  and  villages. 
On  its  western  head  is  the  town  of  Stillwater,  the  seat  of  justice  for  Washington 
County,  Minnesota.  This  town  has  a  population  of  1,500  inhabitants,  containing 
ft  court  house,  several  churches,  schools,  printing  offices,  a  public  land  office,  and 
territorial  penitentiary,  with  stores,  mills,  &c.  Hudson  is  a  town  seated  on  its  east 
bank,  at  Willow  River,  being  the  seat  of  justice  for  St.  Croix  County,  Wisconsin. 
It  contains  a  United  States  land-office,  two  churches,  and  94  dwellings,  besides  stores 
and  mills.     Steamboats  freely  navigate  its  waters  from  the  Mississippi. 

■}•  Falls  of  St.  Croix. — A  thriving  post  town  is  now  seated  on  the  Wisconsin 
side  of  these  falls  in  Polk  County,  Wisconsin,  which  contains  several  mills,  at  which 
it  is  estimated,  four  millions  of  feet  of  pine  lumber  are  sawed  annually.  It  is  at 
the  head  of  steamboat  navigation  of  St.  Croix  River. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  271 

system,  and  were  now  to  ascend  a  valle}^,  in  which  a  heavy  dilu- 
vial drift  and  boulder  stratum  rested  on  this  broken  and  angular 
basis.*  On  reaching  the  summit  of  the  St.  Croix,  there  are  found 
vast  plateaux  of  sand,  supporting  pine  forests;  and  on  descending 
the  Misakoda,  or  Brul(?  of  Fond  du  Lac,  the  sandstone  strata  of  that 
basin  are  again  encountered.  This  ascent  was  rendered  arduous, 
from  the  low  state  of  the  water.  I  reached  Snake  Eiver  on  the 
30th,  had  an  interview  with  the  Buffalo  chief  (Pezhikee)  and  his 
subordinates;  finding  the  population  300,  with  thirty-eight  half 
breeds.  The  men,  while  here,  cut  their  feet,  treading  on  the  trap- 
rock  debris,  in  the  mouth  of  the  river.  The  distance  thence  to 
Yellow  River  is  about  thirty -five  miles,  which  we  accomplished 
on  the  31st,  by  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  having  found  our 
greatest  obstacle  at  the  Kettle  Rapids,  which  discloses  sharp 
masses  of  the  trap-rock.  The  river,  in  this  distance,  receives  on 
its  right,  in  the  ascent,  the  Aisippi,  or  Shell  River,  which  origi- 
nates in  a  lake  of  that  name,  noted  for  its  large  unios  and  ana- 
dontas. 

At  Yellow  River,  I  halted  to  confer  with  the  Indians  in  front 
of  a  remarkable  eminence  called  Pokunogun,  or  the  Moose's  Hip. 
This  eminence  is  not,  however,  of  artificial  construction.  This 
river,  with  its  dependencies  of  Lac  Yaseux,  Rice  Lake,  and  Yellow 
Lake,  contains  a  Chippewa  population  of  three  hundred  and 
eightj^-two  souls.  We  observed  here  the  unio  purpureus,  which 
the  Indians  use  for  spoons,  after  rubbing  off  the  alatce  and  round- 
ing the  margin.  We  also  examined  the  skin  of  the  sciurus  tre- 
dacem  striatus  of  Mitchill. 

We  reached  the  forks  of  the  St.  Croix  about  two  o'clock  P.  M. 
The  distance  from  Yellow  River  is  about  thirteen  miles;  it  re- 
quired five  and  a  half  hours  to  accomplish  this.  The  water  Avas, 
indeed,  so  low,  that  the  men  had  often  to  wade ;  and,  on  reaching 
this  point,  we  were  to  lose  half  its  volume,  or  more,  for  the 
ISTamakagunf  fork,  which  enters  here,  carries  in  more  than  half 
the  quantity  of  water. 

*  Vide  Owen's  Geological  Report,  for  the  first  attempt  to  delineate  the  order  of 
the  various  local  and  general  formations.     Philada.,  Lippiucott  &  Co.,  1852. 

f  From  nama,  a  sturgeon,  and  kagun,  a  yoke  or  wier.  I  explored  this  stream 
in  1831,  having  reached  it  after  ascending  the  Mauvais  or  Maskigo  of  Lake  Su- 
perior.    Vide  Personal  Memoirs:  Lippincott,  Grambo,  &  Co.,  1851. 


272  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

I  found  the  chief  Kabamappa  and  his  followers  encamped  at 
the  forks,  awaiting  my  arrival,  who  received  me  with  a  salute. 
He  disclaimed  all  connection  with  the  movement  of  the  Black- 
hawk.  He  stated  facts,  however,  which  showed  him  to  be  well 
acquainted  with  the  means  which  that  chief  had  used  to  bring 
the  Indians  into  an  extensive  league  against  the  United  States. 
He  readily  assented  to  the  measures  proposed  to  the  upper  bands, 
for  bringing  the  Sioux  and  Chippewas  into  more  intimate  and 
permanent  relations  of  peace  and  friendship. 

With  respect  to  the  ascent  of  the  St.  Croix,  in  the  direction  of 
the  Brule,  his  exclamation  was  iskutta-iskutta^  meaning  it  is 
dried  up,  or  there  is  no  water.  Dry  the  channel,  indeed,  looked, 
but  by  leading  the  canoes  around  the  shoals,  all  the  men  walking 
in  the  water,  and  picking  out  channels,  we  advanced  about  seven 
miles  before  the  time  of  encampment.  The  next  morning  (Aug.  1) 
a  heavy  fog  detained  us  in  our  encampment,  till  five  o'clock, 
when  we  recommenced  the  ascent  of  a  similar  series  of  embarrass- 
ments from  very  low  water,  rapid  succeeding  to  rapid,  till  two 
o'clock  P.  M.,  when  we  reached  the  summit  of  a  plateau,  and 
found  still  water  and  comparatively  good  navigation.  Five  hours 
canoeing  on  this  summit  brought  us  to  Kabamappa's  village  at 
the  Namakowagon,  or  sturgeon's  dam,  where  we  encamped.  The 
chief  gave  us  his  population  at  88  souls,  of  whom  28  were  men, 
including  the  minor  chief,  Mukudapenas,*  and  his  men.  We 
had  now  got  above  all  the  strong  rapids,  and  proceeded  from  our 
encampment  at  four  o'clock,  A.  M.,  on  the  2d.  The  river  receives 
two  tributaries,  from  the  right  hand,  on  this  summit,  namely,  the 
Buffalo  and  Clearwater,  and,  at  the  distance  of  about  ten  miles 
above  the  Namakowagon,  is  found  to  be  expanded  in  a  handsome 
lake  of  about  six  miles  in  extent,  called  Lake  St.  Croix.  This  is 
the  source  of  the  river.  We  were  favored  with  a  fair  wind  in 
passing  over  it,  and  having  reached  its  head  debarked  on  a 
marshy  margin,  and  immediately  commenced  the  portage  to  the 
Brul^,  or  Misakoda  River.f 

*  From  mukuda,  black,  and  penaisee,  a  bird,  the  name  of  the  rail. 

■f  From  misk,  red  or  colored,  muscoda,  a  plain,  and  auk,  a  dead  standing  tree,  as 
a  tree  burned  by  fire  or  lightning.  From  the  French  translation  of  the  word,  hy 
the  phrase  Brule ;  the  Indian  meaning  is  clearly  shown  to  be  burnt,  scorched,  or 
parched — a  term  which  is  applied  to  metifs  of  the  mixed  race. 


NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION.  273 

I  had  now  readied  the  summit  between  the  St.  Croix  and  Lake 
Superior.  The  elevation  of  this  summit  has  not  been  scientifically 
determined;  but  from  the  great  fall  of  the  Brule,  cannot  be  less 
than  600  feet.  The  length  of  the  Bruld  is  about  100  miles,  in 
which  there  are  240  distinct  rapids.  Some  of  these  are  from  eight 
to  ten  feet  each.  Four  of  them  require  portages,  at  which  all  the 
canoes  are  discharged.  The  river  itself,  on  looking  down  it,  ap- 
pears to  be  a  perfect  torrent,  foaming  and  roaring ;  and  it  could 
never  be  used  by  the  traders  at  all,  were  it  not  that  it  had  abund- 
ance of  water,  being  the  off-drain  for  an  extensive  plateau  of  lakes 
and  springs.  To  give  an  adequate  idea  of  this  foaming  torrent, 
it  is  necessary  to  conceive  of  a  river  flowing  down  a  pair  of  stairs, 
a  hundred  miles  long. 

The  portage  from  the  St.  Croix  to  it  begins  on  marsh,  ascending 
in  a  hundred  yards  or  so,  to  an  elevated  sandy  plain,  which 
has  been  covered,  at  former  times,  with  a  heavy  forest  of  the 
pinus  resinosa ;  that  having  been  consumed,  there  is  left  here  and 
there  a  dry  trunk,  or  auk^  as  the  Indians  call  it.  The  length  of 
the  portage  path  is  3,350  yards,  or  about  two  miles.  At  this  dis- 
tance, we  reach  a  small,  sandy-bottomed  brook,  of  four  feet  wide 
and  a  foot  deep,  of  most  clear  crystalline  cold  water,  winding  its 
way,  in  a  most  serpentine  manner,  through  a  boggy  tract,  and 
overhung  with  dense  alder  bushes.  It  is  a  good  place  to  slake 
one's  thirst,  but  appears  like  anything  else  than  a  stream  to 
embark  on,  with  canoes  and  baggage.  Nobody  but  an  Indian 
would  seem  to  have  ever  dreamed  of  it.  Yet  on  this  brook  we 
embarked.  It  was  now  six  o'clock  in  the  evening.  By  going  a 
distance  below,  and  damming  up  the  stream,  a  sufficient  depth  of 
water  was  got  to  float  the  canoes.  The  axe  was  used  to  cut  away 
the  alders.  The  men  walked,  guiding  the  canoes,  and  carrying 
some  of  the  baggage.  In  this  way  we  moved  slowly,  about  one 
mile,  when  it  became  quite  dark,  and  threatened  rain.  The  voya- 
geurs  then  searched  about  for  a  place  on  the  bog  dry  enough  to 
sleep  on,  and  came,  with  joy,  and  told  me  that  they  had  found  a 
kind  of  bog,  with  bunches  of  grassy  tufts,  which  are  called  by 
them  tete  de  femme.  The  very  poetry  of  the  idea  was  something, 
and  I  was  really  happy,  amid  the  intense  gloom,  to  rest  my  head, 
for  the  night,  on  these  fair  tufts.  The  next  morning  we  were 
astir  as  soon  as  there  was  light  enough  to  direct  our  steps.  After 
18 


274  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

a  few  miles  of  these  intricacies,  we  found  a  brisk  and  full  tributary, 
below  which,  the  descent  is  at  once  free,  and  on  crossing  the 
first  narrow  geologic  plateau,  the  rapids  begin ;  the  stream  being 
constantly  and  often  suddenly  enlarged,  by  springs  and  tribu- 
taries from  the  right  and  left.  To  describe  the  descent  of  this 
stream,  in  detail,  would  require  graphic  powers  to  which  I  do  not 
aspire,  and  time  which  I  cannot  command.  "We  were  two  days 
and  a  part  of  a  night  in  making  the  descent,  with  every  appliance 
of  voyageur  craft.  It  was  after  darkness  had  cast  her  pall  over 
us,  on  the  evening  of  the  4th  of  August,  before  we  reached  still 
water.  The  river  is  then  a  deep  and  broad  mass  of  water,  into 
which  coasting  vessels  from  the  Lake  might  enter.  Some  four 
miles  from  the  foot  of  the  last  rapids,  it  enters  the  Fond  du  Lac 
of  Lake  Superior.  Some  time  before  reaching  this  point,  we  had 
been  apprised  of  our  contiguity  to  it,  from  hearing  the  monotonous 
thump  of  the  Indian  drum ;  and  we  were  glad,  on  our  arrival, 
to  find  the  chief,  Mongazid,*  of  Fond  du  Lac,  with  the  military 
barge  of  Lieut.  Allen,  left  at  that  place  on  our  outward  trip, 
which  he  had  promised  to  bring  down  to  this  point. 

Having  thus  accomplished  the  objects  committed  to  my  trust, 
and  rejoined  the  track  described  in  my  prior  narrative,  I  rested 
here  on  the  next  day  (5th),  being  the  Sabbath ;  and  then  pro- 
ceeded through  Lake  Superior,  to  my  starting-point  at  Sault  de 
Ste  Marie.f 

*  From  mong,  a  loon,  and  ozid,  his  foot.  The  name  is  in  allusion  to  the  track  of 
the  bird  on  the  sand. 

f  On  passing  through  Lake  Superior,  I  learned  from  an  Indian  the  first  breaking 
out  of  Asiatic  cholera  in  the  country,  in  1832,  and  the  wide  alarm  it  had  produced. 


APPENDIX. 

No.  1. 

THE    EXPEDITION    TO    THE    SOURCES    OF    THE 
MISSISSIPPI   IN    1820. 


I.  OFFICIAL  REPORTS  OF  THE  EXPEDITION  OF  1820. 


1.  DEPARTMENTAL  REPORTS. 

I.  Announcement  of  the  Return  of  the  Expedition.     By  Hon.  Lewis  Cass. 
IL  General  Report  to  the  Department  of  War.     By  Hon.  Lewis  Cass. 
IIL  Fui'ther  Explorations  of  Western  Geography  recommended.     By  Hon.  Lewis 
Cass. 

IV.  Personal  Testimonial  on  the  close  of  the  Expedition.     By  Hon.  Lewis  Cass. 

2.  TOPOGRAPHY  AND  ASTRONOMY. 

V.  Results  of  Observations  for  Latitudes  and  Longitudes  during  the  Expedition  of 

1820.     By  David  B.  Douglass,  Capt.  Engineers,  U.  S.  A. 

3.  MINERALOGY  AND  GEOLOGY. 

VI.  Report  on  the  Copper  JNIines  of  Lake  Superior.     By  Henry  R.  Schoolcraft.   ' 

VII.  Observations  on  the  Mineralogy  and  Geology  of  the  country  embracing  the 
sources  of  the  Mississippi  River  and  the  Great  Lake  Basins.  By  Henry  R. 
Schoolcraft. 

VIII.  Report  in  reply  to  a  Resolution  of  the  U.  S.  Senate  on  the  Value  and  Extent 
of  the  Mineral  Lands  on  Lake  Superior.     By  Henry  R.  Schoolcraft. 

IX.  Rapid  Glances  at  the  Geology  of  Western  New  York,  beyond  the  Rome  summit, 
in  1820.     By  Henry  R.  Schoolcraft. 

X.  A  Memoir  on  the  Geological  Position  of  a  Fossil  Tree  in  the  secondary  rocks  of 

the  Illinois.     Albany:  E.  &  E.  Hosford,  pp.  18,  1822.    By  Henry  R.  School- 
craft. 

4.  BOTANY. 

XI.  List  of  Plants  collected  by  Capt.  D.  B.  Douglass  at  the  sources  of  the  Missis- 
sippi River.  This  paper  has  been  published  in  the  4th  vol.  p.  5G  of  Silliman's 
Journal  of  Science.     By  Dr.  John  Torrey. 

5.  ZOOLOGY. 

XII.  A  Letter  embracing  Notices  of  the  Zoology  of  the  Northwest,  addressed  to 
Dr.  Mitchell  on  the  return  of  the  Expedition.     By  Henry  R.  Schoolcraft. 


278  APPENDIX. 


(1.)  FRESH-WATER  CONCHOLOGY. 

XIII.  Species  of  Bivalves  collected  by  Mr.  Schoolcraft  and  Capt.  Douglass  in  the 
Northwest.  Published  in  the  6th  vol.  Amer.  Journ.  of  Science,  pp.  120,  259. 
By  D.  H.  Barnes. 

XIV.  Fresh-water  Shells  collected  by  Mr.  Schoolcraft  in  the  valleys  of  the  Fox  and 
Wisconsin  Rivers.  American  Philosophical  Transactions,  vol.  5.  By  Mr. 
Isaac  Lea. 


(2.)  FAUNA:  ICHTHYOLOGF:  REPTILIA. 

XV.  Summary  Remarks  respecting  the  Zoological  Species  noticed  in  the  Expedi- 
tion.    By  Dr.  Samuel  L.  Mitchell. 

XVI.  Mus  Busarius.     Medical   Repository,  vol.  21,  p.  248.     By  Dr.  Samuel  L. 
Mitchell. 

XVII.  Sciurus  Tredecem  Striatus.  Med.  Rep.  vol.  21.  By  Dr.  Samuel  L.  Mitchell. 

XVIII.  Proteus  of  the  Lakes.     Am.  Journ.  Science,  vol.  4.     By  Dr.  Samuel  L. 
Mitchell. 


6.  METEOROLOGY. 

y  XIX.  Memoranda  on  Climatic  Phenomena,  and  the  distribution  of  Solar  Heat,  in 
1820.     By  Heney  R.  Schoolcraft. 


7.  INDIAN  LANGUAGES  AND  HISTORY. 

XX.  A  Pictographic  mode  of  communicating  ideas  by  the  Northwestern  Indians. 
By  Hon.  Lewis  Cass. 

XXI.  Inquiries  respecting  the  History,  &c.  of  the  Indians  of  the  United  States. 
Detroit,  1822.     By  Hon.  Lewis  Cass. 

XXII.  A  Letter  on  the  Origin  of  the  Indian  Tribes  of  America,  and  the  Principles 
of  their  Mode  of  uttering  Ideas.     By  Dr.  J.  M'Donnell,  Belfast,  Ireland. 

XXIII.  Difficulties  of  studying  the  Indian  Tongues  of  the  United  States.  School- 
craft's Travels  in  the  Central  Portions  of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  p.  381.  By 
Dr.  Alexander  Wolcott,  Jr. 

XXIV.  Examinations  of  the  Elementary  Structure  of  the  Odjibwa- Algonquin  Lan- 
guage.    First  paper.     By  Henry  R.  Schoolcraft. 

'XXV.  A  Vocabulary  of  the  Odjibwa- Algonquin.     By  Henry  R.  Schoolcraft. 


APPENDIX. 


1.  DEPARTMENTAL  REPORTS. 


Detroit,  September  14,  1820. 

Sir:  I  am  tappj  to  be  enabled  to  state  to  you  tbat  I  readied 
this  place  four  days  since,  ■with  some  of  the  gentlemen  who  accom- 
panied me  on  my  late  tour,  after  a  very  fortunate  journey  of  four 
thousand  miles,  and  an  accomplishment,  without  any  adverse 
accident,  of  every  object  intrusted  to  me.  The  party  divided  at 
Green  Bay,  with  a  view  to  circumnavigate  Lake  Michigan,  and  I 
trust  they  may  all  arrive  here  in  the  course  of  a  week. 

As  soon  as  possible,  I  ^  shall  transmit  to  you  a  detailed  report 
upon  the  subject. 

Since  my  arrival,  I  have  learned  that  Mr.  Ellicott,  professor  of 
mathematics,  at  the  military  academy,  is  dead,  I  cannot  but  hope 
that  the  ofl&ce  will  not  be  filled  until  the  return  of  Captain  Dou- 
glass. I  do  not  know  whether  such  an  appointment  would  suit 
him ;  but  from  my  knowledge  of  his  views,  feelings,  and  pursuits, 
I  presume  it  would.  And  an  intimate  acquaintance  with  him 
during  my  tour  enables  me  to  say  that  in  every  requisite  qualifi- 
cation, as  far  as  I  can  judge,  I  have  never  found  a  man  who  is  his 
superior.  His  zeal,  talents,  and  acquirements  are  of  the  first 
order,  and  I  am  much  deceived  if  he  do  not  soon  take  a  distin- 
guished rank  among  the  most  scientific  men  in  our  country.  His 
situation  as  an  assistant  professor  to  Colonel  Mansfield,  and  his 
connection  with  the  family  of  Mr.  Ellicott,  furnish  additional 
reasons  why  he  should  receive  this  appointment. 
Very  respectfully,  sir, 

I  have  the  honor  to  be 

Your  obedient  servant, 

LEWIS  CASS. 

Hon.  J.  C.  Calhoun,  Secretary  of  War. 


280  APPENDIX. 


II. 

Detroit,  October  21,  1820. 

Sir  :  I  had  tlie  lionor  to  inform  you  some  time  since  that  I 
had  reached  this  place  by  land  from  Chicago,  and  that  the  residue 
of  the  party  were  daily  expected.  They  arrived  soon  after,  with- 
out accident,  and  this  long  and  arduous  journey  has  been  accom- 
plished without  the  occurrence  of  any  unfavorable  incident. 

I  shall  submit  to  you,  as  soon  as  it  can  be  prepared,  a  memoir 
respecting  the  Indians  who  occupy  the  country  through  which 
we  passed  ;  their  numbers,  disposition,  wants,  &c.  It  will  be 
enough  at  present  to  say,  that  the  whole  frontier  is  in  a  state  of 
profound  peace,  and  that  the  remote  Indians,  more  particularly, 
exhibit  the  most  friendly  feelings  towards  the  United  States.  As 
we  approach  the  points  of  contact  between  them  and  the  British, 
the  strength  of  this  attachment  evidently  decreases,  and  about 
those  points  few  traces  of  it  remain.  During  our  whole  progress 
but  two  incidents  occurred  which  evinced  in  the  slightest  degree, 
an  unfriendly  spirit.  One  of  these  was  at  St.  Mary's,  within 
forty -five  miles  of  Drummond's  Island,  and  the  other  within  thirty 
miles  of  Maiden.  They  passed  off,  however,  without  producing 
any  serious  result. 

It  is  due  to  Colonel  Leavenworth  to  say,  that  his  measures 
upon  the  subject  of  the  outrage  committed  by  the  Winnebago 
Indians,  in  the  spring,  were  prompt,  wise,  and  decisive.  As  you 
have  long  since  learned,  the  murderers  were  soon  surrendered ; 
and  so  impressive  has  been  the  lesson  upon  the  minds  of  the 
Indians,  that  the  transaction  has  left  us  nothing  to  regret,  but  the 
untimely  fall  of  the  soldiers. 

In  my  passage  through  the  Winnebago  country,  I  saw  their 
principal  chiefs,  and  stated  to  them  the  necessity  of  restraining 
their  young  men  from  the  commission  of  acts  similar  in  their 
character  to  those  respecting  which  a  report  was  made  by  Colonel 
Smith.  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  similar  complaints  will  not 
again  be  made,  and  I  am  certain  that  nothing  but  the  intemperate 
passions  of  individuals  will  lead  to  the  same  conduct.  Should  it 
occur,  the  act  will  be  disavowed  by  the  chiefs,  and  the  offenders 
surrendered  with  as  much  promptitude  as  the  relapsed  state  of 
the  government  will  permit. 


APPENDIX,  281 

The  general  route  wliicli  we  pursued  was  from  this  place  to 
Michilimackinac  by  the  southern  shore  of  Lake  Huron.  From 
thence  to  Drummond's  Island  and  by  the  Eiver  St.  Mary's  to 
the  Sault.  We  there  entered  Lake  Superior,  coasted  its  southern 
shore  to  Point  Kewena,  ascended  the  small  stream,  which  forms 
the  water  communication  across  the  base  of  the  point,  and,  after 
a  portage  of  a  mile  and  a  half,  struck  the  lake  on  the  opposite 
side.  Fifty  miles  from  this  place  is  the  mouth  of  the  Ontonagan, 
upon  which  have  been  found  large  specimens  of  copper. 

"We  ascended  that  stream  about  thirty  miles,  to  the  great  mass 
of  that  metal,  whose  existence  has  long  been  known.  Common 
report  has  greatly  magnified  the  quantity,  although  enough  re- 
mains, even  after  a  rigid  examination,  to  render  it  a  mineralogical 
curiosity.  Instead  of  being  a  mass  of  pure  copper,  it  is  rather 
copper  imbedded  in  a  hard  rock,  and  the  weight  does  not  probably 
exceed  five  tons,  of  which  the  rock  is  the  much  larger  part.  It  was 
impossible  to  procure  any  specimens,  for  such  was  its  hardness 
that  our  chisels  broke  like  glass,  I  intend  to  send  some  Indians 
in  the  spring  to  procure  the  necessary  specimens.  As  we  under- 
stand the  nature  of  the  substance,  we  can  now  furnish  them  with 
such  tools  as  will  effect  the  object.  I  shall,  on  their  return,  send 
you  such  pieces  as  you  may  wish  to  retain  for  the  Government, 
or  to  distribute  as  cabinet  specimens  to  the  various  literary  insti- 
tutions of  our  country.  Mr.  Schoolcraft  will  make  to  you  a 
detailed  report  upon  this  subject,  in  particular,  and  generally^' 
upon  the  various  mineralogical  and  geological  objects  to  which 
his  inquiries  were  directed.  Should  he  carry  into  effect  the 
intention,  which  he  now  meditates,  of  publishing  his  journal  of 
the  tour,  enriched  with  the  history  of  the  facts  which  have  been 
collected,  and  with  those  scientific  and  practical  reflections  and  ^^ 
observations,  which  few  men  are  more  competent  to  make,  his  ) ) 
work  will  rank  among  the  most  important  accessions  which  have-  / 
ever  been  made  to  our  national  literature. 

From  the  Ontonagon  we  proceeded  to  the  Fond  du  Lac,  passing 
the  mouths  of  the  Montreal,  Mauvais,  and  Brul(^  Rivers,  and  en- 
tered the  mouth  of  the  St.  Louis,  or  Fond  du  Lac  River,  which 
forms  the  most  considerable  water  communication  between  Lake 
Superior  and  the  Mississippi, 

The  southern  coast  of  the  lake  is  sterile,  cold,  and  unpromis- 


282  APPENDIX. 

ing.  The  timber  is  bircli,  pine,  and  trees  of  that  description 
which  characterize  the  nature  of  the  country.  The  first  part  of 
the  shore  is  moderately  elevated,  the  next,  hilly,  and  even  mount- 
ainous, and  the  last  a  low,  flat,  sandy  beach.  Two  of  the  most 
sublime  natural  objects  in  the  United  States,  the  Grand  Sable  and 
the  pictured  rocks,  are  to  be  found  upon  this  coast.  The  former 
is  an  immense  hill  of  sand,  extending  for  some  miles  along  the 
lake,  of  great  elevation  and  precipitous  ascent.  The  latter  is  an 
unbroken  wall  of  rocks,  rising  perpendicularly  from  the  lake  to 
the  beight  of  300  feet,  assuming  every  grotesque  and  fanciful 
appearance,  and  presenting  to  the  eye  of  the  passenger  a  spectacle 
as  tremendous  as  the  imagination  can  conceive,  or  as  reason  itself 
can  well  sustain. 

The  emotions  excited  by  these  objects  are  fresh  in  the  recollec- 
tion of  us  all ;  and  they  will  undoubtedly  be  described,  so  that 
the  public  can  appreciate  their  character  and  appearance.  The 
indications  of  copper  upon  the  western  part  of  the  coast,  are 
numerous ;  and  there  is  reason  to  suppose  that  silver,  in  small 
quantities,  has  been  found. 

The  communication  by  the  Montreal  with  the  Chippewa  River, 
and  by  the  Mauvais  and  Bruld  Elvers  with  the  St.  Croix,  is 
difficult  and  precarious.  The  routes  are  interrupted  by  long, 
numerous,  and  tedious  portages,  across  which  the  boats  and  all 
their  contents  are  transported  by  the  men.  It  is  doubtful  whe- 
ther their  communication  can  ever  be  much  used,  except  for  the 
purposes  to  which  they  are  now  applied.  In  the  present  state  of 
the  Indian  trade,  human  labor  is  nothing,  because  the  number  of 
men  employed  in  transporting  the  property  is  necessary  to  con- 
duct the  trade,  after  the  different  parties  have  reached  their  desti- 
nation, and  the  intermediate  labor  does  not  affect  the  aggregate 
amount  of  the  expense.  Under  ordinary  circumstances,  and  for 
those  purposes  to  which  water  communication  is  applied  in  the 
common  course  of  civilized  trade,  these  routes  would  be  aban- 
doned. From  the  mouth  of  the  Montreal  River  alone  to  its  source, 
there  are  not  less  than  forty-five  miles  of  portage. 

The  St.  Louis  River  is  a  considerable  stream,  and  for  twenty- 
five  miles  its  navigation  is  uninterrupted.  At  this  distance,  near 
an  establishment  of  the  Southwest  Company,  commences  the 
Grand  Portage  about  six  miles  in  length,  across  spurs  of  the 


APPENDIX.  283 

Porcupine  ridge  of  mountains.  One  otlier  portage,  one  of  a  mile 
and  a  half,  and  a  continued  succession  of  falls,  called  the  Grand 
Rapids,  extending  nine  miles,  and  certainly  unsurmountable  except 
by  the  skill  and  perseverance  of  the  Canadian  boatmen,  conduct 
us  to  a  comparatively  tranquil  part  of  the  river.  From  here  to 
the  head  of  the  Savannah  River,  a  small  branch  of  the  St,  Louis, 
the  navigation  is  uninterrupted,  and  after  a  portage  of  four  miles, 
the  descent  is  easy  into  Lake  au  Sable,  whose  outlet  is  within 
two  miles  of  the  Mississippi. 

This  was  until  1816  the  principal  establishment  of  the  British 
Northwest  Company  upon  these  waters,  and  is  now  applied  to 
the  same  purpose  by  the  American  Fur  Company. 

From  Lac  au  Sable,  we  ascended  the  Mississippi  to  the  Upper 
Red  Cedar  Lake,  which  may  be  considered  as  the  head  of  the 
navigation  of  that  river.  The  whole  distance,  850  miles,  is  almost 
uninhabitable.  The  first  part  of  the  route  the  country  is  gene- 
rally somewhat  elevated  and  interspersed  with  pine  woods.  The 
latter  part  is  level  wet  prairie. 

The  sources  of  this  river  flow  from  a  region  filled  with  lakes 
and  swamps,  whose  geological  character  indicates  a  recent  forma- 
tion, and  which,  although  the  highest  table-land  of  this  part  of  the 
Continent,  is  yet  a  dead  level,  presenting  to  the  eye  a  succession 
of  dreary  uninteresting  objects.  Interminable  marshes,  numerous 
ponds,  and  a  few  low,  naked,  sterile  plains,  with  a  small  stream, 
not  exceeding  sixty  feet  in  width,  meandering  in  a  very  crooked 
channel  through  them,  are  all  the  objects  which  are  found  to  re- 
ward the  traveller  for  the  privations  and  difficulties  which  he 
must  encounter  in  his  ascent  to  this  forbidding  region. 

The  view  on  all  sides  is  dull  and  monotonous.  Scarcely  a  living 
being  animates  the  prospect,  and  every  circumstance  recalled 
forcibly  to  our  recollection  that  we  were  far  removed  from  civil- 
ized life. 

From  Lac  au  Sable  to  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Peter's,  the  distance 
by  computation  is  six  hundred  miles.  The  first  two  hundred 
present  no  obstacles  to  navigation.  The  land  along  the  river  is 
of  a  better  quality  than  above ;  the  bottoms  are  more  numerous, 
and  the  timber  indicates  a  stronger  and  more  productive  soil. 
But  near  this  point  commence  the  great  rapids  of  the  Mississippi, 
which  extend  more  than  two  hundred  miles.     The  river  flows 


284  APPENDIX. 

over  a  rocky  bed,  whicli  forms  a  continuous  succession  of  rapids, 
all  of  whicli  are  difficult  and  some  dangerous.  The  country,  too, 
begins  here  to  open,  and  the  immense  plains  in  which  the  buffa- 
loes range  approach  the  river.  These  plains  continue  to  the 
Falls  of  St.  Anthony. 

They  are  elevated  fifty  or  sixty  feet  above  the  Mississippi,  are 
destitute  of  timber,  and  present  to  the  eye  a  flat,  uniform  surface, 
bounded  at  the  distance  of  eight  or  ten  miles  by  high  ground. 
The  title  of  this  land  is  in  dispute  between  the  Chippewas  and 
Sioux,  and  their  long  hostilities  have  prevented  either  party  from 
destroying  the  game  in  a  manner  as  improvident  as  is  customary 
among  the  Indians.  It  is  consequently  more  abundant  than  in 
any  other  region  through  which  we  travelled. 

From  the  post,  at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Peter's,  to  Prairie  du 
Chien,  and  from  that  place  to  Green  Bay,  the  route  is  too  well- 
known  to  render  it  necessary  that  I  should  trouble  you  with  any 
observations  respecting  it. 

The  whole  distance  travelled  by  the  party  between  the  24th  of 
May  and  the  24th  of  September  exceeded  4,200  miles,  and  the 
journey  was  performed  without  the  occurrence  of  a  single  unto- 
ward accident  sufficiently  important  to  deserve  recollection. 

These  notices  are  so  short  and  imperfect  that  I  am  unwilling  to 
obtrude  them  upon  your  patience.  But  the  demands  upon  your 
attention  are  so  imperious,  that  to  swell  them  into  a  geographical 
memoir  would  require  more  time  for  their  examination  than  any 
interest  which  I  am  capable  of  giving  the  subject  would  justify. 

I  propose  hereafter  to  submit  some  other  observations  to  you 
in  a  different  shape. 

Very  respectfully,  sir, 

I  have  the  honor  to  be 

Your  obedient  servant, 

LEWIS  CASS. 

Hon.  J.  C.  Calhoun,  Secretary  of  War. 


APPENDIX.  285 


III. 


Copy  of  a  letter  from  Gov.  Lewis  Cass  to  Hon.  John  C.  Cal- 
houn, Secretary  of  War,  dated 

Detroit,  September  20,  1820. 

Sir:  In  examining  the  state  of  our  topographical  knowledge, 
respecting  that  portion  of  the  Northwestern  frontier  over  which 
we  have  recently  passed,  it  occurs  to  me  that  there  are  several 
points  which  require  further  examination,  and  which  might  be 
explored  without  any  additional  expense  to  the  United  States. 

The  general  result  of  the  observations  made  by  Capt.  Douglass, 
will  be  submitted  to  you  as  soon  as  it  can  be  prepared.  And  I 
believe  he  will  also  complete  a  map  of  the  extensive  route  we 
have  taken,  and  embracing  the  whole  of  the  United  States, 
bounded  by  the  Upper  Lakes  and  by  the  waters  of  the  Mississippi, 
and  extending  as  far  south  as  Eock  Island  and  the  southern  ex- 
tremities of  Lakes  Michigan  and  Erie.  The  materials  in  his  pos- 
session are  sufficient  for  such  an  outline,  and  he  is  every  way 
competent  to  complete  it.  But  there  are  several  important 
streams,  respecting  which  it  is  desirable  to  procure  more  accurate 
information  than  can  be  obtained  from  the  vague  and  contradic- 
tory relations  of  Indians  and  Indian  traders.  The  progress  of 
our  geographical  knowledge  has  not  kept  pace  with  the  extension 
of  our  territory,  nor  with  the  enterprise  of  our  traders.  But  I 
trust  the  accurate  observations  of  Captain  Douglass  will  render  a 
resort  to  the  old  French  maps  for  information  respecting  our  own 
country  entirely  unnecessary. 

I  beg  leave  to  propose  to  you,  whether  it  would  not  be  proper 
to  direct  exploring  parties  to  proceed  from  several  of  our  frontier 
posts  into  the  interior  of  the  country,  and  to  make  such  observa- 
tions as  might  lead  to  a  correct  topographical  delineation  of  it. 
An  intelligent  officer,  with  eight  or  ten  men,  in  a  canoe,  would 
be  adequate  to  this  object.  He  would  require  nothing  more  than 
a  compass  to  ascertain  his  course,  for  it  is  not  to  be  expected  that 
correct  astronomical  observations  could  be  taken.  In  ascending 
or  descending  streams,  he  should  enter  in  a  journal  every  course 
which  he  pursues,  and  the  length  of  time  observed  by  a  watch. 
He  should  occasionally  ascertain  the  velocity  of  his  canoe,  by 
measuring  a  short  distance  upon  the  bank,  and  should  also  enter 


286  APPENDIX. 

in  his  journal  his  supposed  rate  of  travelling.  This,  whenever  it 
is  possible,  should  be  checked  by  the  distance  as  estimated  by 
traders  and  travellers.  By  a  comparison  of  these  data,  and  by  a 
little  experience,  he  would  soon  be  enabled  to  ascertain  with 
sufficient  precision,  the  length  of  each  course,  and  to  furnish 
materials  for  combination,  which  would  eventually  exhibit  a  per- 
fect view  of  the  country.  I  do  not  know  any  additional  expense 
which  it  would  be  necessary  to  encounter.  An  ordinary  compass 
is  not  worth  taking  into  consideration.  A  necessary  supply  of 
provisions,  a  small  quantity  of  powder,  lead,  and  tobacco,  to  pre- 
sent occasionally  to  the  Indians,  and  a  little  medicine,  are  all  the 
articles  which  would  require  particular  attention.  Officers 
employed  upon  such  services  should  be  directed  to  observe  the 
natural  appearances  of  the  country;  its  soil,  timber,  and  produc- 
tions ;  its  general  face  and  character ;  the  height,  direction,  and 
composition  of  its  hills ;  the  number,  size,  rapidity,  &c.,  of  its 
streams;  its  geological  structure  and  mineralogical  products;  and 
any  facts  which  may  enable  the  public  to  appreciate  its  import- 
ance in  the  scale  of  territorial  acquisitions,  or  which  may  serve 
to  enlarge  the  sphere  of  national  science. 

It  is  not  to  be  expected  that  officers  detached  upon  the  duties 
can  enter  into  the  detail  of  such  subjects  in  a  manner  which  their 
importance  would  render  desirable.  But  the  most  superficial 
observer  may  add  something  to  the  general  stock ;  and  to  point 
their  inquiries  to  specific  objects,  may  be  the  means  of  eliciting 
facts,  which  in  other  hands  may  lead  to  important  results.  The 
most  important  tributary  stream  of  the  Upper  Mississippi  is  the 
Saint  Peter's.  The  commanding  officer  at  the  mouth  of  that  river 
might  be  directed  to  form  an  expedition  for  exploring  it. 

It  is  the  opinion  of  Captain  Douglass,  and  it  is  strongly  forti- 
fied by  my  personal  observation,  and  by  the  opinion  of  others, 
that  Lieut.  Talcott,  of  the  Engineers,  now  at  the  Council  Blufis, 
would  conduct  a  party  upon  this  duty  in  a  very  satisfactory 
manner.  He  might  ascend  the  St.  Peter's  to  its  source,  and  from 
thence  cross  over  to  the  Red  River,  and  descend  the  stream  to 
the  49th  parallel  of  latitude,  with  directions  to  take  the  necessary 
observations  upon  so  important  a  point.*  Thence  up  that  branch 
of  the  Red  River,  interlocking  with  the  nearest  water  of  the 

*  This  is  the  origin  of  Major  Long's  second  expedition. 


APPENDIX.  287 

Mississippi,  and  down  this  river  to  Leecli  Lake.  From  this  Lake, 
there  is  an  easy  communication  to  the  Eiver  de  Corbeau,  which 
he  could  descend  to  the  Mississippi,  and  thence  to  St.  Peter's.* 

The  St.  Croix  and  Chippewa  Rivers,  entering  the  Mississippi 
above  and  below  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  might,  in  like  manner, 
be  explored  by  parties  from  the  same  post.*  The  former  interlocks 
with  the  Mauvais  and  Brul^  Elvers,  but  a  descent  into  Lake  Su- 
perior would  not  probably  be  considered  expedient,  so  that  the 
party  would  necessarily  ascend  and  descend  the  same  stream.* 

The  Chippewa  interlocks  with  the  Montreal  and  Wisconsin 
Rivers,  and  consequently  the  same  party  could  ascend  the  former 
and  descend  the  latter  stream. 

A  party  from  Green  Bay  might  explore  Rocky  River  from  its 
source  to  its  mouth. 

A  correct  examination  of  Green  Bay  and  of  the  Menomonie 
River  might  be  made  from  the  same  post. 

The  St.  Joseph  and  Grand  River,  of  this  peninsula,  could  be 
examined  by  parties  detached  from  Chicago. 

It  is  desirable,  also,  to  explore  the  Grand  Traverse  Bay,  about 
sixty  miles  south  of  Michilimackinac,  on  the  east  coast  of  Lake 
Michigan. 

These  are  all  the  points  which  require  particular  examination. 
Observations  made  in  the  manner  I  have  suggested,  and  connected 
with  those  already  taken  by  Captain  Douglass,  would  furnish 
ample  materials  for  a  correct  chart  of  the  country. 

It  is  with  this  view  that  it  might  be  proper,  should  you  approve 
the  plan  I  have  submitted  to  you,  to  direct,  that  the  reports  of 
the  officers  should  be  transmitted  to  Captain  Douglass,  by  whom 
they  will  be  incorporated  with  his  own  observations,  and  will 
appear  in  a  form  best  calculated  to  promote  the  views  which  you 
entertain  upon  the  important  subject  of  the  internal  geography 
of  our  country. 

IV. 

Detroit,  October  3,  1820. 

Sir:  On  the  eve  of  separating  from  my  associates  in  our  late 
tour,  I  owe  it  to  them  and  to  myself,  that  I  should  state  to  you 
my  opinion  respecting  Captain  Douglass  and  Mr.  Schoolcraft. 

I  have  found  them,  upon  every  occasion,  zealous  in  promoting 

*  Explored  by  the  preceding  narrative  in  1831-1833. 


288  APPENDIX. 

the  objects  of  the  Expedition,  indefatigable  in  their  inquiries  and 
observations,  and  never  withholding  their  personal  exertions. 
Ardent  in  their  pursuit  after  knowledge,  with  great  attainments 
in  the  departments  of  literature  to  which  they  have  respectively 
devoted  themselves,  and  with  powers  which  will  enable  them  to 
explore  the  whole  field  of  science,  I  look  forward  with  confi- 
dence to  the  day  when  they  will  assume  distinguished  stations 
among  our  scientific  men,  and  powerfully  aid  in  establishing  the 
literary  fame  of  their  country. 

Should  any  object  of  a  similar  character  again  require  similar 
talents,  I  earnestly  recommend  their  employment.  Whoever  has 
the  pleasure  of  being  associated  with  them,  will  find  how  easily 
profound  acquirements  may  be  united  with  that  urbanity  of 
manners,  and  those  qualities  of  the  heart,  which  attach  to  each 
other  those  who  have  participated  in  the  fatigues  of  a  long  and 
interesting  tour. 

Very  respectfully,  sir, 

I  have  the  honor  to  be 

Your  obedient  servant, 

LEWIS  CASS. 

Hon.  John  C.  Calhoun,  Secretcmj  of  War. 


2.  TOPOGRAPHY  AND  ASTRONOMY. 

Topographical  materials  were  collected  by  Capt.  Douglass,  U. 
S.  A.,for  a  map  of  the  northwestern  portions  of  the  United  States, 
embracing  the  complete  circumnavigation  of  the  great  lake  basins, 
and  accurate  delineations  of  the  sources  of  the  Mississippi,  as  low 
down  as  the  influx  of  the  Eiver  Wisconsin.  Being  provided  with 
instruments  from  the  Military  Academy  of  West  Point,  astrono- 
mical observations  were  made  at  every  practical  point  over  the 
vast  panorama  traversed  by  the  Expedition.  A  line  of  some  four 
thousand  miles  of  previously  unexplored  country  was  visited; 
his  notes  and  memoranda  for  a  topographical  memoir  were  full 
and  exact ;  and  they  were  left,  I  am  informed,  in  a  state  of  nearly 
perfect  elaboration,  accompanied  by  illustrations,  and  many  draw- 
ings of  scenery.  Having  written  to  his  family  recently,  for  the 
astronomical  observations,  they  were  transmitted  by  his  son  in  a 
letter,  of  which  the  following  is  an  extract : — 


APPENDIX. 


289 


Geneva,  June  23,  1854. 

Dear  Sir  :  I  inclose  you  herewith,  on  another  page,  the  results 
of  my  father's  observations  of  latitude  and  longitude,  so  far  as  I 
have  been  able  to  collect  them.  His  calculations  indicate  great 
pains  and  labor  to  obtain  accurate  results.  They  are  too  volu- 
minous to  copy.  1  trust,  however,  that  I  have  been  as  particular 
as  was  necessary  in  the  inclosed  memoranda.  If  anything  else  is 
wanting,  I  should  like  you  to  inform  me. 

I  am,  sir,  with  great  respect. 

Your  obedient  servant, 

MALCOLM  DOUGLASS. 


Mean 
latitude 

of 
Detroit 


Bestdfs  of  Observations  for  Latitude  and  Longitude  during  the  Ex- 
pedition of  1820.  By  David  B.  Douglass,  Capt.  Engineers, 
U.S.A. 

By  3  sets  of  observations  at  Cunning-  - 
ham's  Island,  1819,  and  reduced  by 
exact  measurement  on  the  Bound- 
ary Bay 
By  1  set  of  observations  at  Gibraltar 
Island  (Put-in  Bay),  taken,  like  the 
■\      preceding,  in  1819,  and  reduced  as  |-     42°  19'    20" 
before 
By  1  set  of  observations  taken  on 
Sugar  Island,  and  reduced  as  before 
By  mean  results  of  2  sets  of  observa- 
tions—May 17  and  21,  1820 
By  mean  observation,  Sept.  29,  1820- 
Mean  longitude  of  Detroit,  by  6  sets  of  observa- 
tions, May  17  and  19,  1820      .        .        .        .     82     39     00 
Latitudeof  Presque  Isle,  Lake  Huron,  June  5, 1820     45     19     45 
Latitude  of  Mackinaw,  by  4  sets  of  observations, 
June  7  and  11,  1820,  by  meridian  observations, 

Sept.  12,  1820 45     50     54 

Height  of  Fort  Holmes.     From  the  water 
to  the  brow  of  the  hill  near  Eobin- 
19 


290  APPENDIX. 

son's  Folly,  nearly  on   a   level  witli 
Fort  Mackinaw  ....     115.8 

Thence  to  the  top  of  the  block  H  of  Fort 

Holmes 260.9 


84° 

28' 

40" 

46 

26 

45 

46 

41 

15 

47 

02 

30 

46 

55 

24 

Total  height,  376.7  feet 
Longitude  of  Mackinaw,  by  several  sets  of  obser- 
vations, Sept.  12,  1820 

Mean  latitude  of  Sault  de  St.  Marie,  June  16, 1820 
Latitude  of  Turtle  Camp,  on  Lake  Superior,  June 

22 — primitive  bluff  (Granite  Point. — S.)  . 
Latitude  of  Keweena  Camp  .... 

Mean  latitude  of  Sandy  Eiver,  July  4,  1820 
Mean  longitude  (by  25  observations  for  degrees, 

and  25  observations  for  time).    In  time,  6  h.  3  m. 

48  sec.    In  degrees 90    57     00 

Latitude  of  the  gallais*  on  the  Grand  Portage  of 

St.  Louis,  July  6,  1820 46     39     34 

Latitude  of  camp  at  head  of  Grand  Portage,  July 

8,  1820 46    41     07 

Latitude  of  camp  at  west  end  of  Savanna  Portage    46     51     47t 
Mean  latitude  of  Sandy  Lake  post,  from  observa- 
tions, July  16  and  25 46    45     35 

Mean  longitude  of  Sandy  Lake  post,  from  4  sets 

of  observations,  July  15  and  16        .         .        .     93     21     30 
Latitude  of  AVolverine  Camp,  July  23, 1  day  from 

Sandy  Lake 47       4     15 

Latitude  of  halting-place  above  forks  of  Leech 

Eiver  on  the  Mississippi,  July  20     .        .         .    47     24     OOf 
Latitude  of  camp  at  Lake  Winnipec,  July  20       .    47     30     56 
Latitude  of  halting-place  near  first  return  camp, 

July  21 47    27     10 

Latitude  of  return  camp,  near  the  above,  same 

day 47    26    40 

Latitude  of  camp  at  Buffalo  hunting-ground,  above 

Pe-can-de-quaw  Lake,  July  28  and  29       .        .46     00    00 
Breadth  of  river  at  camp  on  the  Buffalo  Plain, 

148  yards. 

*  Galet,  in  the  Canadian  patois,  means  a  smooth,  flat  rock. — H.  R.  S. 
f  A  little  doubtful. 


APPENDIX.  291 

Latitude  of  halting-place  between  the  Great  Falls 

and  St.  Francis  Eiver 45°  25'    43" 

Breadth  of  river  at  camp  above  Falls  of  St,  An- 
thony, 200  yards. 

Mean  latitude  of  Fort  St,  Anthony,  new  site,  July 

31,  by  5  sets  of  observations    .         .         .         .     44     53     20 

Mean  longitude  of  Fort  St,  Anthony,  new  site,  July 

31,  by  3  sets  of  observations    .         .         .         .     92     55     45 

Latitude  of  Fort  Prairie  du  Chien,  Aug,  6  and  7  .     43     03     19* 

Latitude   of  Fox  and  Ouisconsin  Portage,  Aug, 

14  and  15,  43°  42'  36";  say    .         .        ,         .43     42     00 

Latitude  of  camp  near  mouth  of  River  De  Loup, 

Aug,  17 44      6    44 

Latitude  of  Fort  Howard,  Green  Bay,  Aug,  21     .     44     31     38 

Longitude  of  Fort  Howard  (some  error),  probably 
between  87°  45'  30"  and         ....     87     46     00 

Latitude  of  camp  at  Sturgeon  Portage,  Lake  Michi- 
gan, Aug,  23 44    47     43 

Latitude  of  camp  3  miles  north  of  the  Manetowag, 
Aug,  24 

Latitude  of  camp  south  of  the  Sheboyegan,  Aug,  25 

Latitude  of  camp  at  Milwaukie,  Aug,  26      . 

Mean  latitude  of  Fort  Dearborn,  Chicago,  by  6  sets 
of  equal  altitudes,  Aug,  31,  and  meridian  alti- 
tude       41     54     06 

Mean  longitude  of  Fort  Dearborn,  3  sets  of  obser- 
vations.    In  time,  5  h.  50  m.  8  sec.     In  degrees     87     32     30 

Longitude  of  Detroit,  calculated  from  above         .     82     54     53 

Latitude  of  camp  near  head  of  Lake  Michigan, 

Aug.  31  and  Sept,  1 41     38     48 

Mean  latitude  of  the  extreme  south  point  of  Lake 
Michigan,  4  sets  of  observations  and  meridian 
observation 41     37     28 

Latitude  of  camp  next  north  of  the  St,  Joseph's, 

near  Kekalamazo,  Sept.  3  .        .        .        .    42    32     16 

Latitude  of  camp  at  Maskegon  Eiver,  Sept.  4       .    43     13    41 

*  Or  20^^ 


44 

12 

47 

43 

41 

26 

43 

01 

35 

292  APPENDIX. 

Latitude  of  camp  near  Point  aux  Salles,  Lake 

Michigan,  Sept.  5 44°     5'    17' 

Latitude  of  camp  at  Grand  Traverse  Bay,  Lake 

Michigan,  Sept.  7 45     34     24 


3.  MINERALOGY  AND  GEOLOGY. 
VI. 

Report  on  the  Copper  Mines  of  Lake  Superior.     By  Henry  E. 
Schoolcraft. 

To  the  Hon.  John  C.  Calhoun,  Secretary  of  War. 

Vernon  (Oneida  County,  N.  Y.),  November  6,  1820. 

Sir:  I  have  now  the  honor  to  submit  such  observations  as 
have  occurred  to  me,  during  the  recent  expedition  under  Gov. 
Cass,  in  relation  to  the  copper  mines  on  Lake  Superior;  reserv- 
t/'ing,  as  the  subject  of  a  future  communication,  the  facts  I  have 
collected  on  the  mineralogy  and  geology  of  the  country  explored 
generally. 

The  first  striking  change  in  the  mineral  aspect  of  the  country 
north  of  Lake  Huron,  is  presented  near  the  head  of  the  Island  of 
St.  Joseph,  in  the  Eiver  St.  Mary,  where  the  calcareous  strata  of 
secondary  rocks  are  succeeded  by  a  formation  of  red  sandstone, 
which  extends  northward  to  the  head  of  that  river  at  Point  Iro- 
quois, producing  the  falls  called  the  Sault  de  Ste.  Marie,  fifteen 
miles  below;  and  thence  stretching  northwest,  along  the  whole 
southern  shore  of  Lake  Superior,  with  the  interruptions  noted,  to 
Pond  du  Lac. 

This  extensive  stratum  is  perforated  at  various  points  by  up- 
heaved masses  of  sienitic  granite  and  trap,  which  appear  in  ele- 
vated points  on  the  margin  of  the  lake  at  Dead  Eiver,  Keweena 
Point,  Presque  Isle,  and  the  Chegoimagon  Mountains.  It  is 
overlaid,  in  other  parts,  by  a  stratum  of  gray  or  neutral-colored 
sandstone,  of  uncommon  thickness,  which  appears  in  various 
promontories  along  the  shore,  and,  at  the  distance  of  ninety  miles 
from  Point  Iroquois,  constitutes  a  lofty  perpendicular  and  ca- 
verned  wall,  upon  the  water's  edge,  called  the  Pictured  Eocks. 


APPENDIX.  293 

So  obvious  a  change  iu  the  geological  character  of  the  rock 
strata,  in  passing  from  Lake  Huron  to  Lake  Superior,  prepares 
the  observer  to  expect  a  corresponding  one  in  the  imbedded 
minerals  and  other  natural  features — an  expectation  which  is 
realized  during  the  first  eighty  leagues,  in  the  discovery  of  vari- 
ous minerals.  The  first  appearances  of  copper  are  seen  at  Ke- 
Vi^eena  Point,  two  hundred  and  seventy  miles  beyond  the  Sault  de 
Ste.  Marie,  where  the  debris  and  pebbles  along  the  shore  of  the 
lake  contain  native  copper  disseminated  in  particles  varying  in  size 
from  a  grain  of  sand  to  a  mass  of  two  pounds'  weight.  Many  of 
the  detached  stones  of  this  Point  are  also  colored  green  by  the 
carbonate  of  copper,  and  the  rock  strata  exhibit  traces  of  the 
same  ore.  These  indications  continue  to  the  River  Ontonagon, 
which  has  long  been  noted  for  the  large  masses  of  native  copper 
found  upon  its  banks,  and  about  the  contiguous  country. 

This  river  is  one  of  the  largest  of  thirty  tributaries,  mostly 
small,  which  flow  into  the  lake  between  Point  Iroquois  and  Fond 
du  Lac.  It  originates  in  a  district  of  mountainous  country  inter- 
mediate between  the  Mississippi  River  and  lakes  Huron  and 
Superior.  After  running  in  a  northern  direction  for  about  one 
hundred  and  twenty  miles,  it  enters  the  latter  at  the  computed 
distance  of  fifty  miles  west  of  the  portage  of  Keweena,  in  north 
latitude  46°  52'  2",  according  to  the  observations  of  Capt.  Dou- 
glass. It  is  connected,  by  portages,  with  the  Monomonee  River 
of  Green  Bay,  and  with  the  Chippewa  River  of  the  Mississippi- 
At  its  mouth  there  is  a  village  of  Chippewa  Indians  of  sixteen 
families,  who  subsist  chiefly  on  the  fish  taken  in  the  river.  Their 
location,  independent  of  that  circumstance,  does  not  appear  to 
unite  the  ordinary  advantages  of  an  Indian  village  of  the  region. 

A  strip  of  alluvial  land  of  a  sandy  character  extends  from  the 
lake  up  the  river  three  or  four  leagues,  where  it  is  succeeded  by 
hills  of  a  broken,  sterile  aspect,  covered,  chiefly,  with  a  growth 
of  pine,  hemlock,  and  spruce.  Among  these  hills,  which  may  be 
considered  as  lateral  spurs  of  the  Porcupine  Mountains,  the  cop- 
per mines,  so  called,  are  situated,  at  the  computed  distance  of 
thirty-two  miles  from  the  lake,  and  in  the  centre  of  a  region  cha- 
racterized by  its  wild,  rugged,  and  forbidding  appearance.  The 
large  mass  of  native  copper  lies  on  the  west  bank  of  the  river, 
at  the  water's  edge,  at  the  foot  of  an  elevated  bank,  part  of  which 


294  APPENDIX. 

appears  to  have  slipped  into  the  river,  carrying  with  it  the  mass 
of  copper,  together  with  detached  blocks  of  sienitic  granite,  trap- 
rock,  and  other  species  common  to  the  soil  at  that  place. 

The  copper,  which  is  in  a  pure  and  malleable  state,  lies  in  con- 
nection with  serpentine  rock,  one  face  of  which  it  almost  com- 
pletely overlays.  It  is  also  disseminated  in  masses  and  grains 
throughout  the  substance  of  the  rock.  The  surface  of  the  metal, 
unlike  most  oxidable  metals  which  have  been  long  exposed  to 
the  atmosphere,  presents  a  metallic  brilliancy,  which  is  probably 
attributable  to  the  attrition  of  the  semi-annual  floods  of  the  river. 

The  shape  of  the  rock  is  very  irregular;  its  greatest  length  is 
three  feet  eight  inches ;  its  greatest  breadth,  three  feet  four  inches, 
with  an  average  thickness  of  twelve  inches.  It  may,  altogether, 
contain  eleven  cubic  feet.*  It  exceeds,  in  size,  the  great  mass  of 
native  iron  found  some  years  ago  on  the  banks  of  Red  Eiver,  in 
Louisiana.  I  have  computed  the  weight  of  metallic  copper  in 
the  rock  at  twenty-two  hundred  pounds,  which  is  about  one-fifth 
of  the  lowest  estimate  made  of  it  by  former  visitors.  Henry, 
who  visited  it  in  1766,  estimated  its  weight  at  five  tons.  The 
quantity  may,  however,  have  been  much  diminished  since  its  dis- 
covery, and  the  marks  of  chisels  and  axes  upon  it,  with  the  dis- 
covery of  broken  tools,  prove  that  portions  have  been  cut  off  and 
carried  away.  Notwithstanding  this  reduction,  it  may  still  be 
considered  one  of  the  largest  and  most  remarkable  bodies  of  na- 
tive copper  on  the  globe,  and  is,  so  far  as  known,  only  exceeded 
in  weight  by  a  specimen  found  in  a  valley  in  Brazil,  weighing 
twenty-six  hundred  and  sixty-six  Portuguese  pounds.  Viewed 
as  a  subject  of  scientific  interest,  it  presents  illustrative  proofs  of 
an  important  character.  Its  connection  with  a  rock  which  is 
foreign  to  the  immediate  section  of  country  where  it  lies,f  indi- 
cates a  removal  from  its  original  bed;  while  the  intimate  con- 
nection of  the  metal  and  matrix,  and  the  complete  envelopment 
of  masses  of  the  copper  by  the  rock,  point  to  a  common  and  con- 
temporaneous origin,  whether  that  be  referable  to  volcanic  agency 
or  water.  This  conclusion  admits  of  an  obvious  application  to 
the  beds  of  serpentine  and  other  magnesian  rock  found  in  other 
parts  of  the  lake. 

*  This  copper  rock  now  (1854)  lies  in  the  yard  of  the  War  OfBce  at  Washington, 
f  A  locality  of  serpentine  rock  has  since  been  discovered  at  Presque  Isle,  ou 
Lake  Superior. 


APPENDIX.  295 

Several  other  large  masses  of  native  copper  have  been  found, 
either  on  this  river  or  within  the  basin  of  the  lake,  at  various 
periods  since  the  country  has  been  known,  and  taken  into  different 
parts  of  the  United  States  and  of  Europe.  A  recent  analysis  of 
one  of  these  specimens,  at  the  University  of  Leyden,  proves  it  to 
be  native  copper  in  a  state  of  uncommon  purity,  and  uncombined 
with  any  notable  portion  of  either  gold  or  silver. 

A  mass  of  copper,  weighing  twenty-eight  pounds,  was  dis- 
covered on  an  island  in  Lake  Superior,  eighty  miles  west  of  the 
Ontonagon.  It  was  taken  to  Michilimackinac  and  disposed  of. 
The  War  Department  was  formerly  supplied  with  a  specimen 
from  this  mass,  and  the  analysis  above  alluded  to  is  also  under- 
stood to  have  been  made  from  a  portion  of  it.  A  piece  weighing 
twelve  pounds  was  found  at  Winnebago  Lake.  Other  discoveries 
of  this  metal  have  been  made,  within  the  region,  at  various  times 
and  places. 

The  existence  of  copper  in  the  region  of  Lake  Superior  appears 
to  have  been  known  to  the  earliest  travellers  and  voyagers. 

As  early  as  1689,  the  Baron  La  Hontan,  in  concluding  a  de- 
scription of  Lake  Superior,  adds:  "That,  upon  it,  we  also  find 
copper  mines,  the  metal  of  which  is  so  fine  and  plentiful  that 
there  is  not  a  seventh  part  lost  from  the  ore." — Neiu  Voyages  to 
North  America^  London,  1703. 

In  1721,  Charlevoix  passed  through  the  lakes  on  his  way  to 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  did  not  allow  the  mineralogy  of  the 
country  to  escape  him. 

"  Large  pieces  of  copper  are  found  in  some  places  on  its  banks 
[Lake  Superior],  and  around  some  of  the  islands,  which  are  still 
the  objects  of  a  superstitious  worship  among  the  Indians.  They 
look  upon  them  with  veneration,  as  if  they  were  the  presents  of 
those  gods  who  dwell  under  the  waters.  They  collect  their 
smallest  fragments,  which  they  carefully  preserve,  without,  how- 
ever, making  any  use  of  them.  They  say  that  formerly  a  huge 
rock  of  this  metal  was  to  be  seen  elevated  a  considerable  height 
above  the  surface  of  the  water,  and,  as  it  has  now  disappeared, 
they  pretend  that  the  gods  have  carried  it  elsewhere ;  but  there 
is  great  reason  to  believe  that,  in  process  of  time,  the  waves  of 
the  lake  have  covered  it  entirely  with  sand  and  slime.  And  it  is 
certain  that  in  several  places  pretty  large  quantities  of  this  metal 


296  APPENDIX. 

have  been  discovered  witliout  being  obliged  to  dig  very  deep. 
During  tbe  course  of  my  first  voyage  to  this  country,  I  was  ac- 
quainted with  one  of  our  order  (Jesuits)  who  had  been  formerly 
a  goldsmith,  and  who,  while  he  was  at  the  mission  of  Sault  de 
Ste.  Marie  used  to  search  for  this  metal,  and  made  candlesticks, 
crosses,  and  censers  of  it,  for  this  copper  is  often  to  be  met  with 
almost  entirely  pure." — Journal  of  a  Voyage  to  North  America. 

In  1766,  Captain  Carver  procured  several  pieces  of  native  cop- 
per on  the  shores  of  Lake  Superior,  or  on  the  Chippewa  and  St, 
Croix  Elvers,  which  are  noticed  in  his  travels,  without  much  pre- 
cision, however,  as  to  locality,  &c.  He  did  not  visit  the  southern 
shores  of  Lake  Superior,  east  of  the  entrance  of  the  Brule,  or 
Goddard's  Eiver,  but  states  that  virgin  copper  is  found  on  the 
Ontonagon.  Of  the  north  and  northeastern  shores,  he  remarks : 
"That  he  observed  that  many  of  the  small  islands  were  covered 
with  copper  o?-e,  which  appeared  like  beds  of  copperas,  of  which 
many  tons  lay  in  a  small  space." — Three  Years'  Travels,  &c. 

In  1771  (four  years  before  the  breaking  out  of  the  American 
Eevolution),  a  considerable  body  of  native  copper  was  dug  out 
of  the  alluvial  earth  on  the  banks  of  the  Ontonagon  Eiver  by  two 
adventurers,  of  the  names  of  Henry  and  Bostwick,  and,  together 
with  a  lump  of  silver  ore  of  eight  pounds'  weight,  it  was  trans- 
ported to  Montreal,  and  from  thence  shipped  to  England,  where 
the  silver  ore  was  deposited  in  the  British  Museum,  after  an 
analysis  had  been  made  of  a  portion  of  it,  by  which  it  was  deter- 
mined to  contain  60  per  cent,  of  silver. 

These  individuals  were  members  of  a  company  which  had  been 
formed  in  England  for  the  purpose  of  working  the  copper  mines 
of  Lake  Superior.  The  Duke  of  Gloucester,  Sir  William  John- 
son, and  other  gentlemen  of  rank  were  members  of  this  com- 
pany. They  built  a  vessel  at  Point  aux  Pins,  six  miles  above 
the  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  to  facilitate  their  operations  on  the  lake.  A 
considerable  sum  of  money  was  expended  in  explorations  and 
digging.  Isle  Maripeau  and  the  Ontonagon  were  the  principal 
scenes  of  their  search.  They  found  silver,  in  a  detached  form,  at 
Point  Iroquois,  fifteen  miles  above  the  present  site  of  Fort  Brady. 
"Hence,"  observes  Henry,  "we  coasted  westward,  but  found 
nothing  till  we  reached  the  Ontonagon,  where,  besides  the  detached 


APPENDIX.  297 

masses  of  copper  formerly  mentioned,  we  saw  much  of  the  same 
metal  imbedded  in  stone. 

"Proposing  to  ourselves  to  make  a  trial  on  tlie  hill,  till  we  were 
better  able  to  go  to  work  upon  the  solid  rock,  we  built  a  house,  and 
sent  to  the  Sault  de  Ste.  Marie  for  provisions.  At  the  spot  pitched 
upon  for  the  commencement  of  our  operations,  a  green-colored 
water,  which  tinges  iron  of  a  copper  color,  issued  from  the  hill, 
and  this  the  miners  called  a  leader.  In  digging,  they  found  fre- 
quent masses  of  copper,  some  of  which  were  of  three  pounds' 
weight.  Having  arranged  everything  for  the  accommodation  of 
the  miners  during  the  winter,  we  returned  to  the  Sault. 

"Early  in  the  spring  of  1772,  we  sent  a  boat-load  of  provisions, 
but  it  came  back  on  the  20th  day  of  June,  bringing  with  it,  to 
our  surprise,  the  whole  establishment  of  miners.  They  reported 
that,  in  the  course  of  the  winter,  they  had  penetrated  forty  feet 
into  the  face  of  the  hill,  but,  on  the  arrival  of  the  thaw,  the  clay, 
on  which,  on  account  of  its  stiffness,  they  had  relied,  and  neg- 
lected to  secure  it  by  supporters,  had  fallen  in.  That,  from  the 
detached  masses  of  metal  which,  to  the  last,  had  daily  presented 
themselves,  they  supposed  there  might  be  ultimately  reached  a 
body  of  the  same,  but  could  form  no  conjecture  of  its  distance, 
except  that  it  was  probably  so  far  off  as  not  to  be  pursued  with- 
out sinking  an  air  shaft.  And,  lastly,  that  the  work  would  re- 
quire the  hands  of  more  men  than  could  be  fed  in  the  actual 
situation  of  the  country. 

"Here  our  operations,  in  this  quarter,  ended.  The  metal  was 
probably  within  our  reach,  but,  if  we  had  found  it,  the  expense 
of  carrying  it  to  Montreal  must  have  exceeded  its  marketable 
value.  It  was  never  for  the  exportation  of  copper  that  our  com- 
pany was  formed,  but  always  with  a  view  to  the  silver,  which  it 
was  hoped  the  ores,  whether  of  copper  or  lead,  might  in  sufficient 
quantity  contain." — Travels  and  Adventures  of  Alexander  Henry. 

[In  the  summer  of  1832,  being  detained  by  head  winds  at  the 
mouth  of  Miner's  River,  on  Lake  Superior,  I  observed  the  names 
of  several  persons  engraved  on  the  sand  rock,  but  much  oblite- 
rated by  the  water's  dashing  over  the  rock.  Tradition  represents 
that  Henry's  miners  were  detained  there,  and  that  they  made  ex- 
plorations of  the  river,  Avhich  is  named  from  the  circumstance. 


298  APPENDIX. 

The  stream  is  a  mere  brook,  coming  over  the  shelving  sand  rock, 
which  is  a  part  of  the  precipitous  range  of  the  Pictured  Eocks.] 

Sir  A.  Mackenzie  passed  through  Lake  Superior,  on  his  first 
voyage  of  discovery,  in  1789.  He  remarks:  "At  the  Eiver  Ten- 
nagon  (Ontonagon)  is  found  a  quantity  of  virgin  copper.  The 
Americans,  soon  after  they  got  possession  of  the  country,  sent 
an  agent  thither;  and  I  should  not  be  surprised  to  hear  of  their 
employing  people  to  work  the  mine.  Indeed,  it  might  be  well 
worthy  the  attention  of  the  British  subjects  to  work  the  mines 
on  the  north  coast,  though  they  are  not  supposed  to  be  so  rich  as 
those  on  the  south."  —  Voyages  from  Montreal  through  the  Continent 
of  North  America. 

It  is  difficult  to  conceive  what,  however,  is  apparent,  from  the 
references  of  Dr.  Franklin  to  the  subject,  that  the  supposed  mine- 
ral riches  of  Lake  Superior  had  an  important  bearing  on  the  dis- 
cussions for  settling  the  ultimate  northern  boundary  of  the  United 
States.  The  British  ambassadors  had,  it  seems,  from  an  old  map 
which  is  before  me,  claimed  a  line  through  the  Straits  of  Michili- 
mackinac  and  the  Illinois  and  Mississippi  rivers,  to  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico. 

The  attention  of  the  United  States  Government  appears  first 
to  have  been  turned  toward  the  subject  during  the  administration 
of  President  John  Adams,  when  the  sudden  augmentation  of  the 
navy  rendered  the  employment  of  copper  in  the  equipment  of 
ships  an  object  of  moment.  A  mission  was  therefore  authorized 
to  proceed  to  Lake  Superior,  of  the  success  of  which,  as  it  has 
not  been  communicated  to  the  public,  nothing  can,  with  certainty, 
be  stated;  but  from  inquiries  which  have  been  made  during  the 
recent  expedition,  it  is  rendered  probable  that  the  actual  state  of 
our  Indian  relations,  at  the  time,  arrested  the  advance  of  the 
of&cer  into  the  region  where  the  most  valuable  beds  of  copper 
were  supposed  to  exist,  and  that  the  specimens  transmitted  to 
Government  were  procured  through  the  instrumentality  of  some 
friendly  Indians,  employed  for  the  purpose. 

Such  are  the  lights  which  those  who  have  preceded  me  in  this 
inquiry  have  thrown  upon  the  subject,  all  of  which  have  operated 
in  producing  public  belief  in  the  existence  of  extensive  copper 
mines  on  Lake  Superior.  Travellers  have  generally  coincided 
that  the  southern  shore  of  the  lake  is  most  metalliferous,  a  ad 


APPENDIX.  299 

that  the  Ontonagon  Eiver  may  bo  considered  as  the  seat  of  the 
principal  mines.  Mr.  Gallatin,  in  his  report  on  the  state  of  Ame- 
rican manufactures  in  1810,  countenances  the  prevalent  opinion, 
while  it  has  been  reiterated  in  some  of  our  literary  journals,  and 
in  the  numerous  ephemeral  publications  of  the  times,  until  public 
expectation  has  been  considerably  raised  in  regard  to  them. 

Under  these  circumstances,  the  recent  expedition  under  Gov. 
Cass  entered  the  mouth  of  the  Ontonagon  Eiver  on  the  27th  of 
June,  having  coasted  along  the  southern  shore  of  the  lake  from 
the  head  of  the  River  St.  Mary.  We  spent  four  days  upon  the 
banks  of  that  stream,  in  the  examination  of  its  mineralogy,  during 
which  the  principal  part  of  our  party  was  encamped  at  the  mouth 
of  the  river.  Gov.  Cass,  accompanied  by  such  persons  as  were 
necessary  in  the  exploration,  proceeded,  in  two  light  canoes, 
to  the  large  mass  of  copper  which  has  already  been  described. 
We  found  the  river  broad,  deep,  and  gentle  for  a  distance,  and 
serpentine  in  its  course;  then  becoming  narrower,  with  an  in- 
creased velocity  of  current,  and,  before  reaching  the  Copper  Rock, 
full  of  rapids  and  difficult  of  ascent.  We  left  our  canoes  at  a 
point  on  the  rapids,  and  proceeded  on  foot,  across  a  rugged  tract 
of  country,  around  which  the  river  formed  an  extensive  semi- 
circle. We  came  to  the  river  again  at  the  locality  of  copper. 
In  the  course  of  this  curve  the  river  is  separated  into  two  branches 
of  nearly  equal  size.  The  copper  lies  on  the  right-hand  fork,  and 
it  is  subsequently  ascertained  that  this  branch  is  intercepted  by 
three  cataracts,  at  which  the  river  descends  over  precipitous  cliffs 
of  sandstone.  The  aggregate  fall  of  water  at  these  cataracts  has 
been  estimated  at  seventy  feet. 

The  channel  of  the  river  at  the  Copper  Rock  is  rapid  and  shal- 
low, and  filled  with  detached  masses  of  rock,  which  project  above 
the  water.  The  bed  of  the  river  is  upon  sandstone,  similar  to 
that  under  the  Palisades  on  the  Hudson.  The  waters  are  reddish, 
a  color  which  they  evidently  owe  to  beds  of  ferruginous  clay. 
The  Copper  Rock  lies  partly  in  the  water.  Other  details  in  the 
geological  structure  and  appearance  of  the  country  are  interest- 
ing; but  they  do  not  appear  to  demand  a  more  particular  con- 
sideration in  this  report. 

During  our  continuance  upon  this  stream,  we  procured  from 
an  Indian  a  separate  mass  of  copper  weighing  nearly  nine  pounds, 


300  APPENDIX. 

which  will  be  forwarded  to  the  "War  Department.  This  specimen 
is  partially  enveloped  with  a  crust  of  green  carbonate  of  copper. 
Small  fragments  of  quartz  and  sand  adhere  to  the  under  side, 
upon  which  it  would  appear  to  have  fallen  in  a  liquid  state. 
Several  smaller  pieces  of  this  metal  were  procured  during  our 
excursion  up  the  Ontonagon,  or  along  the  shores  of  the  lake  east 
of  this  stream. 

It  may  be  added  that  discoveries  of  masses  of  native  copper, 
like  those  of  gold  and  other  metals,  are  generally  considered 
indicative  of  the  existence  of  mines  in  the  neighborhood.  The 
practical  miner  regards  them  as  signs  which  point  to  larger  bodies 
of  the  same  metals,  in  the  earth,  and  he  is  often  determined  by 
discoveries  of  this  nature  in  the  choice  of  the  spot  for  commencing 
his  labors.  The  predictions  drawn  from  such  evidence  are  more 
sanguine  in  proportion  to  the  extent  of  the  discovery.  They  are 
not,  however,  unerring  indications,  and  appear  liable  to  many 
exceptions.  Metallic  masses  are  sometimes  found  at  great  dis- 
tances from  their  original  repositories ;  and  the  latter,  on  the  con- 
trary, sometimes  occur  in  the  earth,  or  imbedded  in  rock  strata, 
where  there  have  been  no  great  external  discoveries. 

From  all  the  facts,  which  I  have  been  able  to  collect  on  Lake 
Superior,  and  after  a  full  deliberation  upon  them  since  my  return, 
I  have  drawn  the  following  conclusions: — 

1.  That  the  diluvial  soil  along  the  banks  of  the  Ontonagon 
Eiver,  extending  to  its  source,  and  embracing  the  contiguous  re- 
gion, which  gives  origin  to  the  Monomonee  Eiver  of  Green  Bay, 
and  to  the  Wisconsin,  Chippewa,  and  St.  Croix  Rivers  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, contains  very  frequent,  and  several  extraordinary  masses 
of  native,  or  metallic  copper.  But  that  no  body  of  this  metal, 
which  is  sufficiently  extensive  to  become  the  object  of  profitable 
mining  operations,  has  yet  been  found  at  any  particular  place. 
This  conclusion  is  supported  by  the  facts  adduced,  and,  so  far  as 
theoretical  aids  can  be  relied  upon,  by  an  application  of  those 
facts  to  the  theories  of  mining.  A  further  extent  of  country  might 
have  been  embraced,  along  the  shores  of  Lake  Superior,  but  the 
same  remark  appears  applicable  to  it. 

2.  That  a  more  intimate  knowledge  of  the  mineralogical  re- 
sources of  the  country,  may  be  expected  to  result  in  the  disco- 
very of  valuable  ores  of  copper,  in  the  working  of  which  occa- 


APPENDIX.  301 

sional  masses  and  veins  of  tlie  native  metal,  may  materially  enhance 
the  advantages  of  mining.  This  inference  is  rendered  probable 
by  the  actual  state  of  discoveries,  and  by  the  geological  character 
of  the  country. 

These  deductions  embrace  all  I  have  to  submit  on  the  mineral 
geography  of  the  country,  so  far  as  regards  the  copper  mines. 
Other  considerations  arise  from  the  facilities  which  the  country 
may  present  for  mining — its  adaptation  to  the  purposes  of  agri- 
culture— the  state  and  disposition  of  the  Indian  tribes,  and  other 
topics  which  a  design  to  commence  metallurgical  operations  would 
suggest.  But  I  have  not  considered  it  incumbent  upon  me  to 
enter  into  details  upon  these  subjects.  It  may,  in  brief,  be  re- 
marked that  the  remote  situation  of  the  country  does  not  favor 
the  pursuit  of  mining.  It  would  require  the  employment  of  ^ 
military  force  to  protect  such  operations.  For,  whatever  may  be 
their  professions,  the  Indian  tribes  of  the  north  possess  strong 
natural  jealousies,  and  in  situations  so  remote,  are  only  to  be  re- 
strained from  an  indulgence  in  malignant  passions,  by  the  fear  of 
military  chastisement. 

In  looking  upon  the  southern  shore  of  Lake  Superior,  the  period 
appears  distant,  when  the  advantages  flowing  from  a  military 
post  upon  that  frontier,  will  be  produced  by  the  ordinary  progress 
of  our  settlements — for  it  presents  but  few  enticements  for  the 
agriculturalist.  A  considerable  portion  of  the  shore  is  rocky,  and 
its  alluvions  are,  in  general,  of  too  sandy  and  light  a  character  for 
profitable  husbandry.  With  an  elevation  of  six  hundred  and 
forty-one  feet  above  the  Atlantic,  and  drawing  its  waters  from 
territories  situated  north  of  the  forty-sixth  degree  of  north  lati- 
tude, Lake  Superior  cannot  be  represented  as  enjoying  a  climate 
favorable  to  the  productions  of  the  vegetable  kingdom.  Its  forest 
trees  are  chiefly  those  of  the  fir  kind,  mixed  with  varieties  of  the 
betula,  lynn,  oak,  and  maple.  Meteorological  observations  indi- 
cate, however,  a  warm  summer,  the  average  observed  heat  of  the 
month  of  June  being  69,  But  the  climate  is  subject  to  a  long  and 
severe  winter,  and  to  sudden  transitions  of  the  summer  tempera- 
ture.    We  saw  no  Indian  corn  among  the  natives. 

A  country  lacking  a  fertile  soil,  may  still  become  a  rich  minino- 
country,  like  the  county  of  Cornwall  in  England,  the  Hartz  Mount- 
ains in  Germany,  and  a  portion  of  Missouri,  in  our  own  country. 


302  APPENDIX. 

But  tliis  deficiency  must  be  compensated  by  the  advantages  of 
geographical  position,  a  contiguous  or  redundant  population,  par- 
tial districts  of  good  land,  or  a  good  market.  To  these,  the  mine- 
ral districts  of  Lake  Superior  can  advance  but  a  feeble  claim, 
while  it  lies  upwards  of  three  hundred  miles  beyond  the  utmost 
point  of  our  settlements,  and  in  the  occupation  of  savage  tribes 
whose  hostility  has  been  so  recently  manifested. 

Concerning  the  variety,  importance,  and  extent  of  its  latent 
mineral  resources,  I  think  little  doubt  can  remain.  Every  fact 
which  has  been  noticed  tends  to  strengthen  the  belief  that  future 
observations  will  indicate  extensive  mines  upon  its  shores,  and 
render  it  an  attractive  field  of  mineralogical  discovery.  In  the 
event  of  mining  operations,  the  facilities  of  a  ready  transportation 
of  the  crude  ores  to  the  Sault  de  Ste.  Marie,  will  point  out  that 
place  as  uniting,  with  a  commanding  geographical  position,  supe- 
rior advantages  for  the  reduction  of  the  ores,  and  the  general  fa- 
cilities of  commerce.  At  this  place,  a  fall  of  twenty -two  feet,  in 
the  river,  in  the  distance  of  half  a  mile,  creates  sufl&cient  power 
to  drive  hydraulic  works  to  any  extent;  while  the  surrounding 
country  is  such  as  to  admit  of  an  agricultural  settlement. 

I  accompany  this  report  with  a  geological  sketch  of  a  vertical 
section  of  the  left  bank  of  the  Mississippi  at  St.  Peter's,  embracing 
a  formation  of  native  copper.  This  formation  was  first  noticed 
by  the  officers  of  the  garrison,  who  directed  the  quarrying  of  stone 
at  this  spot.  The  masses  of  copper  found  are  small,  none  exceed- 
ing a  pound  in  weight. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  sir, 

With  great  respect. 

Your  ob't  servant, 
HENRY  R.  SCHOOLCRAFT. 


APPENDIX.  803 


VII. 


Observations  on  the  Geology  and  Mineralogy  of  the  Region  embracing 
the  Sources  of  the  Mississippi  River ^  and  the  Great  Lake  Basins, 
during  the  Expedition  o/'1820.  Illustrated  with  Geological  Profiles, 
and  Numerous  Diagrams  and  Vieivs  of  Scenery.  By  IIenry  R. 
Schoolcraft,  U.  S.  Geol.  and  Minera.  Exp, 

To  the  Hon.  John  C.  Calhoun,  Secretary  of  War. 

Washington,  April  2,  1822. 
Sir  :  I  have  the  honor,  herewith,  to  submit  the  general  report 
of  my  observations  on  the  geology  and  mineralogy  of  the  region 
visited  by  the  recent  expedition  to  the  sources  of  the  Mississippi 
River.  I  transmitted  to  the  Department  on  the  6th  of  November, 
1820,  a  report  on  the  existence  of  Copper  Mines  in  the  Basin  of 
Lake  Superior,  together  with  specimens  of  the  native  metal,  which 
were  politely  taken  charge  of  at  Albany  by  General  Stephen  Van 
Rensselaer,  M.  C.  Will  it  be  consistent  with  the  views  of  the 
Department  to  print  these  reports? 
I  have  the  honor  to  be,  sir, 

Very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

HENRY  R.  SCHOOLCRAFT. 

REPLY. 

War  Department,  April  6,  1822. 

Sir  :  I  have  received  your  interesting  report  on  the  geology 
and  mineralogy  of  that  section  of  the  western  country  embraced 
by  the  late  expedition  of  Gov.  Cass ;  and,  although  I  have  not  had 
it  in  my  power,  as  yet,  to  peruse  it  -with  attention,  I  will  see  you, 
at  any  time  you  please,  on  the  subject  of  your  letter  respecting  it. 

I  am,  sir. 

Respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

J.  C.  CALHOUN. 
Mr.  Henry  R.  Schoolcraft. 


80-i  APPENDIX. 

Albany,  March,  1822. 

Sir:  Agreeably  to  your  appointment  as  a  member  of  the  ex- 
pedition to  explore  tlie  sources  of  the  Mississippi,  by  the  way  of 
the  Lakes,  I  proceeded  to  join  the  party  organized  for  that  pur- 
pose at  Detroit,  by  His  Excellency  Lewis  Cass.  Diurnal  notes 
were  kept  of  the  changes  in  the  geological  features  of  the  regions 
visited ;  of  the  mineralogy  of  the  country ;  and  of  such  facts  as 
could  be  ascertained,  with  the  means  at  command,  to  determine 
its  general  physical  character  and  value* 

I  have  heretofore  reported  to  you  the  facts  and  appearances 
which  indicate  the  existence  of  the  ores  of  copper,  and  of  valuable 
deposits  of  copper  in  its  native  form,  in  the  basin  of  liake  Supe- 
rior— a  point  which  constituted  one  of  the  primary  objects  to 
which  my  attention  was  called — and  I  now  proceed  to  state  such 
particulars  in  the  topics  confided  to  me  as  fell  within  my  ob- 
servation. 

In  generalizing  the  facts,  it  must  be  observed  that  the  expedi- 
tion had  objects  of  a  practical  character  relative  to  the  number, 
disposition,  and  feelings  to  be  learned  respecting  the  Indian  tribes ; 
that  the  transit  over  large  portions  of  the  country  was  necessarily 
rapid;  and  that  few  opportunities  of  elaborate  or  long-continued 
observations  occurred  at  any  one  point.  The  topography  was 
committed  to  a  gentleman  who  is  every  way  qualified  for  that 
topic,  who  was  well  supplied  with  instruments,  and  who  will  do 
ample  justice  to  that  department,  I  make  these  remarks  to  pre- 
pare you  for  a  class  of  observations  which  are  necessarily  tech- 
nical, and  quite  imperfect,  and  to  which  it  is  felt  that  it  will  not 
be  an  easy  task  to  impart  a  high  degree  of  interest,  whatever  may 
have  been  the  anticipations. 

To  prepare  the  mind  to  appreciate  the  account  which  I  give  of 
changes  and  developments  in  the  physical  structure  of  the  country, 
it  may  be  observed  that  the  American  continent  has  experienced 
some  of  the  most  striking  mutations  in  its  structure  at  and  north 
of  the  great  chain  of  lakes.  That  chain  is  itself  rather  the  evi- 
dence of  disruptions  and  upheavals  of  formations,  which  give  its 
northern  coasts,  to  some  extent,  the  character  of  ancient — very 

*  The  two  geological  profiles  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  and  the  Lake  Basins  ac- 
companying the  original  are  here  omitted ;  as,  also,  most  of  the  illustrative  views 
of  scenery  which  accompanied  the  original. 


APPENDIX.  805 

ancient — volcanic  areas  of  action.  These  lakes  form — except 
Erie  and  Ontario — the  general  boundaries  between  the  primitive 
and  secondary  strata.  But,  however  striking  this  fact  may,  at 
particular  localities,  appear — such  as  at  the  Straits  of  St.  Mary, 
of  which  the  east  and  west  shores  are,  geologically,  of  different 
construction — yet  nothing  in  the  grand  phenomena  of  the  whole 
region  visited  is  so  remarkable  as  the  boulder  stratum,  which  is 
spread,  generally,  from  the  north  to  the  south.  Some  of  the 
blocks  of  rock  are  enormous,  and  would  seem  to  defy  any  known 
cause  of  removal  from  their  parent  beds ;  others  are  smaller,  and 
have  had  their  angles  removed,  and  far  the  greater  number  of 
these  transported  boulders  are  quite  smooth  and  rounded  by  the 
force  of  attrition.  This  drift  stratum  has  been  tossed  and  scat- 
tered from  its  northern  latitudes  over  the  surface  of  the  limestones 
and  sandstones  of  the  south.  It  is  mixed  with  the  diluvial  soils, 
in  Michigan  and  elsewhere;  but  it  is  evident  that,  in  its  diffusion 
south,  the  heavier  pieces  have  settled  first,  while  comparatively 
minute  boulders  have  been  carried  over  or  dropped  in  the  plains 
and  prairies  of  Ohio,  Illinois,  and  more  southerly  regions.  Nobody, 
with  an  eye  to  geology,  can  mistake  the  heavy  boulder  deposits 
which  mark  the  southern  shores  of  Huron,  and  become  still  more 
abundant  on  the  St.  Mary's,  the  shores  of  Lake  Superior,  and 
along  the  channels  of  the  Eiver  St.  Louis  and  the  Upper  JMissis- 
sippi. 

Lake  Superior  has  been  the  central  theatre  of  volcanic  up- 
heavals ;  but  they  must  have  operated  at  very  remote  periods, 
for  there  is  not  only  no  evidence  of  existing  volcanic  fires,  but  the 
heavy  debris  everywhere  bespeaks  long  intervals  of  quietude,  and 
slow  elementary  degradation.  Some  of  the  upheavals  were  made 
after  the  deposition  of  the  sandstone  rocks,  which  are,  as  at  the 
foot  of  the  Porcupine  Mountains,  raised  up  to  stand  nearly  ver- 
tical ;  while  other  districts  of  the  granitic  rock,  as  at  Granite 
Point,  had  been  elevated  before  the  deposition  of  the  sandstone 
rock,  which  is  accurately  adjusted  to  its  asperities,  and  remains 
quite  horizontal. 

The  granitical  series  of  strata,  which  is  apparent  in  northern 

New  York  in  the  Kayaderasseras  Mountains,  and  at  the  Thousand 

Islands  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  reappear  on  the  north  shores  of 

Iluron  and  Superior,  underlie  the  bed  of  the  latter,  and  rise  up 

20 


306  APPENDIX. 

in  the  rough  coast  between  the  Chocolate  Eiver  and  Kewaiwenon, 
cross  the  Mississippi  at  the  Petite  Roche,  above  the  Falls  of  St. 
Anthon}^,  and  put  out  spurs  as  low  down  as  the  source  of  the 
Fox,  the  St.  Croix,  and  the  head  of  the  St.  Peter's  Rivers. 

These  glimpses  of  some  of  the  leading  points  in  the  geological 
structure  of  the  regions  visited,  will  enable  you  to  follow  my  de- 
tails more  understandingly.  These  details  begin  at  Detroit.  From 
this  place  the  expedition  passed,  by  water,  along  the  southern 
shores  of  Lakes  St.  Clair,  Huron,  and  Superior,  to  the  Fond  du 
Lac ;  thence,  up  the  River  St.  Louis,  to  the  Savanne  summit. 
Thence  we  proceeded  across  the  portage  to  Sandy  Lake,  which 
has  an  outlet  into  the  Mississippi,  and  followed  up  the  latter, 
through  the  lesser  Lake  Winnipek,  to  the  entrance  of  the  Turtle 
River,  in  Cass,  or  upper  Red  Cedar  Lake,  which  is  laid  down  by 
Pike  in  north  latitude  47°  42'  40".*  The  state  of  the  water  was 
unfavorable  to  going  higher. 

From  this  point,  wdiich  formed  the  terminus  of  the  expedition, 
we  descended  the  Mississippi,  making  portages  around  the  Falls 
of  Pekagama  and  St.  Anthony,  to  Prairie  du  Chien.  An  excur- 
sion was  made  by  me  down  the  Mississippi  to  the  mineral  district 
of  Dubuque.  We  ascended  the  Wisconsin,  to  the  portage  into 
the  Fox  River,  and  traced  the  latter  down  to  its  entrance  into 
Green  Bay.  At  this  point,  the  expedition  separated ;  a  part  pro- 
ceeding north,  through  the  haf,  to  Michilimackinac,  and  a  part 
going  south,  along  the  west  shores  of  Lake  Michigan,  to  Chicago, 
the  latitude  of  which  is  placed  by  Capt.  Douglass  in  41°  54'  06". 
At  this  place,  a  further  division  took  place.  Dr.  Wolcott,  having 
reached  his  station,  remained.  Governor  Cass  proceeded  across 
the  peninsula  of  Michigan  to  Detroit  on  horseback,  leaving  Capt. 
Douglass  and  myself  to  complete  the  survey  of  Lake  Michigan. 
We  rejoined  the  northern  party  detached  at  Green  Bay,  under  Mr. 
Trowbridge  and  Mr.  Doty,  at  Michilimackinac ;  and,  after  repass- 
ing the  southern  coast  of  Lakes  Huron  and  St.  Clair,  reached 
Detroit. 

Topographically,  a  very  wide  expanse  of  wilderness  country 
had  been  seen.     The  entire  length  of  route  computed  to  have 

*  Pike's  Expedition.  This  observation  is  corrected  by  Capt.  Douglass  to  -17° 
27'  10''':  the  point  of  observation  being,  however,  a  few  miles  south. 


APPENDIX.  307 

been  traversed,  exceeds  four  thousand  miles,  in  the  course  of 
which  we  had  crossed  nineteen  portages,  over  which  all  the  baggage 
and  canoes  were  conveyed  on  the  shoulders  of  men.  We  en- 
countered actual  resistance  from  the  Indians  at  only  one  point.* 
I  kept  my  journals  continually  before  me,  and  had  my  pencil  in 
hand  every  morning  as  soon  as  it  was  light  enough  to  discern  ob- 
jects.    I  began  my  geological  observations  at  Detroit. 

This  ancient  city,  founded  by  the  French  in  1701,  stands  upon 
an  argillaceous  stratum,  which  is  divided,  topographically,  into  an 
upper  and  lower  bank.  Wherever  this  clay  has  been  examined 
by  digging,  it  discloses  pebbles  of  various  species  of  rock,  denot- 
ing it,  as  far  as  these  extend,  at  least,  to  be  a  part  of  the  great 
drift  stratum. 

In  digging  a  well  near  the  old  Council  House,  in  the  northeast 
part  of  the  city,  the  top  soil  appeared  to  be  less  than  two  feet. 
The  workmen  then  passed  through  a  stratum  of  blue  clay,  of  eight 
or  ten  feet,  when  they  struck  a  vein  of  coarse  sand,  six  or  eight 
inches  in  thickness,  through  which  the  water  entered  profusely. 
The  digging  was  carried  through  another  bed  of  blue  clay,  twenty 
or  twenty-two  feet  in  depth,  when  the  men  reached  a  stratum  of 
fine  yellow  sand,  into  which  they  dug  three  feet  and  stopped, 
having  found  sufficient  water.  The  whole  depth  of  the  well  is 
thirty-three  feet.  The  water  is  clear  and  rapid.  No  vegetable 
or  other  remains  were  found,  and*  but  few  primitive  pebbles. 

In  another  well,  situated  near  the  centre  of  the  town,  the  depth. 
of  which  is  twelve  feet,  the  top  soil  was  found  to  be  two  feet  and 
a  half;  then  a  bed  of  gravel,  seven  feet;  a  vein  of  blue  clay,  eight 
inches,  and  the  residue  a  whitish-blue  clay,  very  compact  and 
hard ;  a  copious  supply  of  water  having  been  found.  The  water 
is,  however,  slightly  colored,  and  is  of  a  quality  called  hard. 

In  some  places,  this  clay  drift  yields  balls  of  iron  pyrites,  which 
renders  the  water  unpalatable.  At  what  depth  the  rock  would 
be  struck,  if  the  excavation  were  continued,  can  only  be  conjec- 
tured, A  well  has  been  dug,  a  short  distance  below  the  city, 
upwards  of  sixty  feet,  chiefly  through  clay  and  gravel,  without 
reaching  the  rock;  but  abraded  fragments  of  granite  and  horn- 
blende rocks  were  thrown  from  the  greatest  depths. 

*    Vide  Narrative  Journal. 


808  APPENDIX. 

The  bed  of  tbe  river  opposite  the  city  has  been  stated  to  con- 
sist of  limestone  rock,  but  without  any  proof  or  much  probabiHty, 
From  the  fact  of  its  affording  a  good  anchorage  to  vessels,  I  am 
inclined  to  think  that  it  is  wholly  composed  of  clay  and  gravel. 

Detroit  Fluviatile  Clay, — The  argillaceous  stratum  of  De- 
troit extends  along  both  banks  of  the  river  to  its  head ;  passes 
around  the  shores  of  Lake  St,  Clair,  and  up  the  Eiver  St,  Clair 
to  Fort  Gratiot — a  distance  of  seventy  miles.  In  this  distance 
there  are  some  moderate  elevations  and  depressions  in  the  sur- 
faces of  the  soil,  but  no  very  striking  changes  in  its  general  cha- 
racter and  composition.  The  boulder  stratum  is  prominent  at 
Gros  Point,  at  the  foot  of  Lake  St.  Clair,  where  the  shore  exhi- 
bited some  heavy  blocks  of  granite,  and  other  foreign  rock, 

St,  Clair  Flats  of  Plastic  Clay. — At  the  mouth  of  the  River 
St.  Clair,  the  current  is  divided  into  several  channels,  and  spread 
over  a  considerable  tract  of  low  ground,  which  is  covered  with 
grasses  and  aquatic  plants.  These  channels  ^ave  worn  their  way 
through  beds  of  tough  blue  clay,  called  the  flats,  over  which 
there  is  sometimes  not  over  seven  feet  eight  inches  of  water  in 
the  ship  channel.  They  consequently  form  an  impediment  to. 
commerce.  The  depth  is,  however,  always  increased  in  the  spring 
season,  when  twelve  inches  more  may  be  generally  relied  on. 
Frequently,  during  the  droughts  of  summer,  a  change  of  wind, 
and  its  steady  continuance  for  some  time,  will  allow  ships  to  pass 
without  lighters.  The  permanent  removal  of  this  bar  is,  however, 
an  object  of  national  importance,  which  cannot  but  be  felt,  as  the 
tonnage  of  the  lakes  increases. 

Ancient  Dune  ;  A  Buried  Forest. — The  principal  spot  where 
the  lands,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  water,  assume  any  con- 
siderable or  abrupt  elevation,  is  included  between  Black  River  of 
the  St.  Clair  and  Lake  Huron.  Here  the  outlet  of  the  lake, 
which  is  rapid,  washes  the  base  of  a  ridge,  or  ancient  dune,  ele- 
vated fifty  or  sixty  feet  above  the  water.  Fort  Gratiot  occupies 
the  upper  part  of  this  elevation.  The  lower  part  consists  of  the 
blue  clay  stratum,  corresponding  in  character  with  that  found  in 
the  wells  of  Detroit.  It  is  overlaid  by  a  deposit  of  sand,  forming 
two-thirds  of  the  entire  height.  This  elevation  is  crowned  with 
a  light  forest  of  oak  and  other  species.  At  the  line  of  junction 
between  the  sand  and  clay,  a  number  of  trees  are  seen  to  be  hori- 


APPENDIX.  309 

zontally  imbedded,  projecting  their  roots  and  trunks  in  a  striking 
manner  above  the  water.  These  trees,  on  inspection,  are  merely 
preserved,  not  petrified.  They  appear  to  have  been  exposed  to 
view,  in  modern  times,  by  the  wearing  away  of  the  bank.  Cer- 
tainly, none  of  the  old  travellers  mention  them. 

The  mode  of  this  formation  may  be  clearly  seen.  Winds,  at 
some  ancient  period,  have  been  the  agent  of  blowing  the  sands, 
as  they  were  washed  up  by  the  lake,  and  redepositing  them  on 
part  of  a  prostrated  forest,  resting  directly  on  the  clay  stratum. 
The  trees,  thus  buried  in  dry  sand,  have  been  preserved.  In 
process  of  time,  the  river  encroached  upon  these  antique  beds, 
exposing  them  to  view.  There  are  also  antique  fresh- water  shells 
found  in  similar  positions  near  this  spot.  No  rock  is,  thus  far, 
found  in  sitCc  in  ascending  the  lakes.  The  old  surface  of  the 
country  is  wholly  of  diluvial  formation,  except  where  it  shows 
lake  action. 

Huron  Coast  from  Fort  Gratiot  to  Michilimackinac. — 
About  two  hundred  and  thirty  miles  lie  stretched  out  between 
these  two  points.  Lake  Huron  charms  the  eye,  with  the  view  of 
its  freshness  and  oceanic  expanse.  But  the  entrance  is  without 
rock  scenery,  and  the  student  of  its  geology  must  be  a  patient 
gleaner  along  its  shores.  Long  coasts  of  sand  and  gravel  extend 
before  the  eye,  and  they  are  surmounted,  at  a  moderate  elevation, 
with  a  dense  foliage,  which  limits  the  view  of  its  structure  to  a 
narrow  line.  Portions  of  this  coast  are  heavily  loaded  with  the 
primitive  debris*  from  the  North.  These  are  found,  in  some 
places,  in  heavy  masses,  but  all  are  more  or  less  abraded,  showing 
that  they  have  been  transported  from  their  original  beds.  In 
one  of  these,  I  observed  crystals  of  staurotide. 

The  first  section  of  this  coast  reaches  from  Fort  Gratiot  to 
Point  aux  Barques,  a  distance  of  about  seventy -five  miles. 
Nearly  midway  lies  the  White  Eock,  a  very  large  bqukler  of 
whitish-gray  semi-crystalline  limestone,  lying  off  the  shore  about 
half  a  mile,  in  water  of  about  one  and  a  half  fathom's  depth.  It 
is  the  effect  of  gulls  lighting  upon  this  rock,  and  not  the  in- 
tensity of  the  color  of  the  stone,  that  has  originated  the  name — 

*  In  1824,  an  Indian  brought  me  a  specimen  of  native  silver  found  on  this  part 
of  the  coast.     It  was  imbedded  in  a  boulder  of  mixed  granite  and  steatite. 


310  APPENDIX. 

whicli  is  a  translation  of  the  Roche  Blanche  of  the  older  voyageurs. 
The  Detroit  claj-formation  still  characterizes  the  coast. 

First  Emergence  of  Eock,  m  place,  above  the  Surface. — 
AVe  are  passing,  in  this  section,  along  and  near  to  the  outcrop  of 
the  secondary  strata  of  the  peninsula,  but  these  strata  are  covered 
with  a  heavy  deposit  of  diluvial  clays,  sands,  and  pebble  drift. 
The  first  emergence  of  fixed  rocks,  above  the  line  of  the  drift, 
occurs  after  passing  Elm  Creek  in  the  advance  to  Ship  Point 
[Poirde  aux  Barques).  It  is  a  species  of  coarse  gray,  loosely  com- 
pacted sandstone,  in  horizontal  layers.  This  rock  continues  to 
characterize  the  coast  to  and  around  the  Ship  Point  promontory 
into  Saganaw  Bay.  It  possesses  a  few  fossil  remains  of  corallines; 
but  the  rock  is  not  of  sufficient  compactness  and  durability  for 
architectural  purposes.  It  is  conjectured  to  be  one  of  the  out- 
lying series  of  the  coal  measures,  of  which  this  coast  exhibits, 
further  on,  other  evidences. 

Saganaw  Bay, — The  phenomena  of  this  large  body  of  water, 
which  is  some  sixty  miles  long,  appear  to  indicate  an  original 
rent  in  the  stratification,  having  its  centre  of  action  very  deep. 
If  the  peninsula  of  Michigan  be  likened  to  a  huge  fish's  head, 
this  bay  may  be  considered  as  its  open  mouth.  We  crossed  the 
inner  bay  from  Point  aux  Chenes,  where  it  is  estimated  to  be 
twenty  miles  across.'^  The  traverse  is  broken  by  an  island,  to 
which  the  Indians,  with  us,  applied  the  name  of  Sha-wan-gunk.f 
It  is  composed  of  a  dark-colored  limestone,  of  dull  and  earthy 
fracture  and  compact  structure.  It  presents  broken  and  de- 
nuded edges  at  the  water  level.  I  observed  in  it  nodular  masses 
of  chalcedony  and  calc.  spar.  The  margin  of  the  island  bears 
fragments  of  the  boulder  stratum. 

Highlands  of  Sauble. — On  crossing  the  bay,  these  highlands 
present  themselves  to  view  in  the  distance.  They  are  the  north- 
eastern verge  of  the  most  elevated  central  strata  of  the  peninsula. 
Their  structure  can  only  be  inferred  from  the  formations  along 

*  Ships  make  the  traverse  where  it  is  sixty  miles  wide. 

f  The  reason  of  this  name  I  did  not  learn.  It  is  apparently  the  same  name  aa 
that  bestowed  on  a  mountain  range  in  Orange  and  Ulster  Counties,  New  York, 
lying  south  of  the  Catskills,  where  it  is  sometimes  called,  for  short,  Shongum. 
The  meaning  is,  evidently,  something  like  South-land-place.  The  local  unk  may 
be  translated  hill,  island,  continent,  &c.  &.c. 


APPENDIX.  811 

the  margin  of  the  lake,  extending  by  Thunder  Bay  and  Presque 
Isle,  and  the  Isles  of  Bois  Blanc  and  Round  Island  to  Michili- 
mackinac.  At  Thunder  Bay,  the  compact  limestone  of  the  Saga- 
naw  Islands  reappears,  and  is  constantly  in  sight  from  this  point 
to  Presque  Isle,  It  exists  in  connection  with  bituminous  shale, 
at  an  island  in  Thunder  Bay.  It  is  of  a  dark  carbonaceous  cha- 
racter on  the  main  opposite  Middle  Island,  at  a  point  which  is 
called  by  the  Indians  Sho-sJio-nd-hi-lai-king^  or  Place  of  the  Smooth 
Eock.  I  noticed  at  this  point  the  cyathophyllum  helianthoides 
in  abundance,  and  easily  detached  them  from  the  rock.  The  more 
compact  portions  of  this  formation  in  the  approach  to  Presque 
Isle,  disclosed  the  ammonite,  two  species  of  the  gorgonia,  and  the 
fragment  of  a  species  of  chambered  shell,  whose  character  is  inde- 
terminate. 

Much  of  the  coast  was  footed,  as  the  winds  were  adverse,  and 
its  debris  thus  subjected  to  a  careful  scrutiny.  Wherever  the 
limestone  was  broken  up  or  receded  from  the  water,  long  lines  of 
yellow  beach-sand  and  lake-gravel,  including  members  of  the 
erratic  block  stratum,  intervened.  In  some  localities,  local  beds 
of  iron  sand  occur. 

MiCHiLiMACKiNAC* — The  approach  to  this  island  was  screened 
from  our  view  by  the  woody  shores  and  forests  of  Bois  Blanc,  an 
island  of  some  twelve  miles  in  length  lying  off"  the  main  land ; 
and  the  view  of  it  first  burst  upon  us  in  the  narrow  channel  be- 
tween it  and  Eound  Island.  It  is  a  striking  geological  monument 
of  mutations.  Here  the  calcareous  rock,  which  had  before  exhi- 
bited itself  in  low  ledges  along  the  shore  is  piled  up  in  masses, 
which  reach  an  extreme  altitude  of  three  hundred  and  twelve 
feet.  About  two  hundred  feet  of  this  elevation  is  precipitous  on 
its  south,  east,  and  west  edge.  A  hundred  feet  or  more  is  piled 
up  on  its  centre,  part  rock  and  part  soil,  in  a  crowning  shape. 
The  highest  part  of  this  apex,  which  is  surmounted  by  the  ruins  • 
of  Fort  Holmes,  consists  of  the  drift  stratum,. among  which  are 
boulders  of  sienite,  and  other  foreign  rocks.  A  locality  of  these 
abraded  boulder-rocks,  near  the  Dousman  farm,  is  worthy  of  a  visit 
from  all  who  take  an  interest  in  the  phenomena  of  boulders  dis- 

*  The  nume,  as  pronounced  by  the  Indians,  is  Mich-en-i-mack-in-ong,  meaning 
Place  of  Turtle  Spirits,  a  notion  of  their  niytliology.  It  was  anciently  deemed  a 
sacred  spot,  or  one  where  Monetoes  revealed  themselves. 


312  APPENDIX. 

persecl  over  the  continent.  The  fisTiermen  represent  tlic  water 
around  this  island  to  be  eighty  fathoms  in  depth.  Yet,  across 
these  waters,  to  the  utmost  altitude  of  the  island,  these  blocks  of 
foreign  rock  have  been  transported.  No  force  capable  of  effect- 
ing this  is  now  known.  And  the  argument  of  their  having  been 
transported  on  cakes  of  ice,  in  the  nascent  periods  of  the  globe,  is 
rendered  stronger  by  these  appearances  than  any  geological  proofs 
which  I  have  yet  seen. 

Distinctive  Character  of  the  Mackinac  Limestone. — No- 
thing appears  so  completely  to  puzzle  the  observer  as  the  first 
glance  at  this  rock.  It  is  different  in  appearance  from  the  calca- 
reous rocks,  to  which  my  attention  has  heretofore  been  called  in 
Western  New  York,  and  in  Missouri  and  Illinois.  The  difficulty 
is  to  find  a  point  of  comparison.  I  walked  entirely  around  the 
island,  partly  in  water,  the  northern  shores  being  comparatively 
low.  There  appeared  to  be  three  layers.  The  first,  which  rises  up 
from  the  depths  of  the  lake,  scarcely,  if  at  all,  reaches  the  water 
level.  Upon  this  is  superimposed  a  vesicular  rock,  of  which  the 
vesicles  are  filled  with  carbonate  of  lime  in  the  state  of  agaric 
mineral.  By  exposure  to  the  air,  this  substance  readily  decom- 
poses, and  assumes  an  almost  limey  whiteness,  and  sometimes  a 
complete  pulverulent  state.  The  reticular,  or  vesicular  lines,  by 
which  the  mass  is  held  together,  are  thus  weakened,  and  large 
masses  of  the  craggy  parts  fall,  and  assume  the  condition  of 
debris  at  the  water's  edge.  Some  conditions  of  the  reticulated 
filaments  are  covered  with  minute  crystals  of  cal.  spar;  others  of 
minutely  crystallized  quartz.  There  appear,  at  other  localities, 
in  low  positions,  layers  of  quartz  in  the  condition  of  a  coarse 
bluish,  flint}^,  striped  agate.  The  entire  stratum  appears  to  be  a 
reproduced  mass,  which  is  plainly  denoted,  if  I  mistake  not,  by 
some  imbedded  masses  of  an  elder  lime-rock.  The  whole  stratum 
is  too  shelly  and  fissured  to  be  of  value  for  economical  purposes. 
It  yields  neither  quicklime  nor  building  stone. 

Fort  Mackinac  is  erected  on  the  summit  of  this  stratum.  The 
two  objects  of  curiosity,  called  the  Arched  Rock,  and  the  point 
called  Robinson's  Folly,  are  evidences  of  this  tendency  of  the 
clifts  to  disintegration.  The  superior  stratum  which  constitutes 
the  nucleus  of  the  Fort  Holmes'  summit,  contains  more  silex,  dif- 
fused throughout  its  structure.     It  is,  however,  of  a  loose,  though 


APPENDIX.  313 

hard  and  shelly  character ;  and  has,  in  the  geological  mutations 
of  the  island  been  chiefly  demolished  and  washed  away.  The 
monumental  mass  of  this  period  of  demolition,  called  the  Sugar 
Loaf,  is  a  proof  that  it  contained,  either  by  its  shape,  or  other- 
Avise,  a  superior  power  of  resisting  these  means  of  ancient  pros- 
tration. Striking  as  it  now  appears,  this  is  the  simple  story 
which  it  tells.  Its  apex  is  probably  level,  or  nearly  so,  with  the 
Fort  Holmes's  summit.  Over  the  whole  island,  after  these  demo- 
litions, the  drift  stratum  was  deposited. 

The  German  geognosts  apply  the  term  mushelkalk,  to  this  spe- 
cies of  calcareous  rock.  It  is,  apparently,  the  magnesian  lime- 
stone of  English  writers. 

Ancient  Water  Lines. — Such  marks  appear  on  the  most 
compact  parts  of  the  cliffs,  denoting  the  water  to  have  stood, 
during  the  ancient  boundaries  of  the  lake,  at  higher  levels. 

Lake  Action. — It  is  known  that  strong  currents  set  into  the 
Straits  of  Michilimackinac,  and  out  of  it,  from  Lake  Michigan,  at 
this  point.  The  fishermen,  who  set  their  nets  at  four  hundred 
feet  in  the  waters,  often  bring  up,  entangled  in  their  nets,  large 
compact  masses  of  limestone,  which  have  been  fretted  into  a  kind 
of  lacework,  by  the  rotatory  motion  of  little  pebbles  and  grains 
of  sand,  kept  in  perpetual  motion  by  the  water  at  the  bottom  of 
the  lake. 

Organic  Impressions. — There  are  cast  up  among  the  lake  de- 
bris of  this  island,  casts  of  some  species  of  orthocaratites,  ammo- 
nites, and  madrepores,  which  appear  to  be  derived  from  the  cal- 
careous rocks  in  place  in  the  basin  of  Lake  Huron.  But  the 
rock  strata  of  the  island  itself  appear  to  be  singularly  destitute 
of  these  remains.  The  only  species  which  I  have  noticed,  is  one 
that  was  thrown  up  from  a  well  attempted  to  be  dug,  on  the  apex 
of  Fort  Holmes,  by  the  British  troops,  while  they  held  possession 
of.  the  island  in  1813,  1814,  and  1815.  But  this  is  uniformly 
fragmentary.  It  has  the  precise  appearance  of  the  head  of  a  tri- 
lobite,  but  never  reveals  the  whole  of  the  lateral  lobes,  nor  any 
of  the  essential  connecting  parts.     It  is  silicious. 

Gyseus  Formation. — Evidences  of  the  extension  of  this  form- 
ation to  this  vicinity  were  brought  to  my  notice ;  in  consequence 
of  which  I  visited  the  St.  Martin's  Islands,  which  belong  to  the 
Mackinac  group.     Masses  of  gypsum  were  found  imbedded  in  the 


314  .  APPENDIX. 

soil,  both  of  the  fibrous  and  compact  variety.  These  islands  are 
low  diluvial  formations.  Similar  masses  are  found  on  Goose 
Island ;  and  the  mineral  has  been  found  at  Point  St.  Ignace  on 
the  main  land. 

Taken  in  connection  with  the  discovery  of  this  mineral,  at  a 
subsequent  part  of  the  journey  on  Grand  Eiver,  the  indications 
of  the  series  of  the  saline  group  of  rocks,  so  prevalent  in  the 
Mississippi  Valley,  are  quite  clear  up  to  this  extreme  point,  which 
is,  however,  very  near  the  northern  verge  of  this  group. 

Honeycombed  Rocks. — As  evidences  of  existing  lake  action, 
it  has  already  been  mentioned  that  the  fishermen  bring  up,  from 
great  depths  in  the  straits,  pieces  of  compact  limestone,  com- 
pletely fretted  and  excavated  by  small  pebbles,  which  are  kept 
in  motion  by  the  strong  currents  which  prevail  at  profound 
depths.  The  process  of  their  formation  by  these  currents  is 
such,  as  in  some  instances  to  give  the  appearance  of  cellepores, 
and  analogous  forms  of  organic  life.  I  have  seen  nothing  in 
these  carious  forms  which  does  not  reveal  the  mechanical  action 
of  these  w^aters. 

PsEUDOMORPHic  FoRMS. — Amongst  the  limestone  debris,  of 
recent  date,  found  on  these  shores,  are  pieces  of  rock  which  have 
an  appearance  as  if  they  had  been  punctured  with  a  lancet,  or 
blade  of  a  penknife.  These  incisions  are  numerous,  and  from 
their  regularity,  appear  to  have  been  moulded  on  some  crystals 
which  have  subsequently  decayed.  Yet,  there  are  difiiculties  in 
supposing  such  to  have  been  the  origin  of  these  small  angular 
orifices. 

Whenever  these  masses  are  examined  by  obtaining  a  fresh 
fracture,  they  are  found  to  consist  of  the  compact  gray  and  semi- 
granular  rock  of  the  inferior  Mackinac  group,  but  in  no  instance 
of  the  vesicular  or  silicious  varieties.  These  blocks  appear  to  be 
identical  in  character  with  the  White  Rock,  before  noticed. 

North  Shore  of  Lake  Hurox. — The  next  portion  of  the 
country  examined  was  that  of  the  north  shores  of  the  lake,  ex- 
tending from  Michilimackinac  to  Point  Detoiir,  the  west  Cape  of 
the  Straits  of  St.  Mary's,  a  distance  computed  to  be  forty  miles. 
The  calcareous  rock,  such  as  it  appears  in  the  inferior  stratum  of 
Mackinac,  extends  along  this  coast.  The  first  three  leagues  of  it, 
consist  of  an  open  traverse  across  an  arm  of  the  lake.     Goose 


APPENDIX.  315 

Island  offers  a  shelter  to  the  voyager,  which  is  generally  em- 
braced. It  consists  of  an  accumulation  of  pebbles  and  boulders 
on  a  reef,  with  a  light  soil,  resting  on  the  lower  limestone.  It 
does  not,  perhaps,  at  any  point,  rise  to  an  elevation  of  more  than 
eight  or  ten  feet  above  the  water.  Outard  Point,  a  short  league, 
or  rather  three  miles  further,  exhibits  the  same  underlying  forma- 
tion of  rock,  which  is  found  wherever  solid  points  put  out  into 
the  lake,  during  the  entire  distance.  The  chain  of  islands  called 
Chenos,  extends  about  twenty  miles,  and  affords  shelter  during 
storms  to  boatmen  and  canoemen,  who  are  compelled  to  pass  this 
coast.  Large  masses  of  the  rock,  with  its  angles  quite  entire,  lie 
along  parts  of  the  shore,  and  appear  to  have  been  but  recently 
detached.  The  intervals  between  these  blocks  and  points  of 
coast,  are  formed  of  the  loose  sand  and  pebbles  of  the  lake, 
which  are  more  or  less  affected  by  every  tempest.  The  only  or- 
ganic remains  and  impressions  are  drift-specimens,  which  have 
been  driven  about  by  the  waves,  and  are  abraded.  Broken 
valves  of  the  anadonta,  occasionally  found  in  similar  positions, 
denote  that  this  species  exists  in  the  region,  but  that  the  outer 
localities  of  the  coast  are  entirely  unfavorable  to  their  growth. 

Deummond  Island. — This  island,  now  in  the  possession  of 
British  troops,  who  removed  from  Michilimackinac  in  1816,  is 
the  western  terminus  of  the  Manatouline  chain.  We  did  not 
visit  it,  but  learn  from  authentic  sources,  that  it  is  a  continuation 
of  the  nether  Mackinac  limestone — and  that  the  locality  abounds 
in  loose  petrifactions,  which  appear  to  have  belonged  to  an  upper 
stratum  of  the  rock,  now  disrupted.'^' 

Straits  of  St.  Mary's, — These  straits,  and  the  river  which 
falls  into  their  head,  connect  Lakes  Huron  and  Superior,  They 
appear  to  occupy  the  ancient  line  of  junction  between  the  great 
calcareous  and  granitic  series  of  rocks  on  the  continent.  The 
limestone,  which  has  been  noticed  along  the  north  shore  of  the 

*  Dr.  John  Bigsby,  in  aimemoir  read  before  the  London  Geological  Society,  has 
described  and  figured  several  of  these.  In  a  memoir  by  Charles  Stokes,  Esq.,  of 
London,  read  before  this  Society  in  June,  1837,  some  of  its  most  striking  fossils  are 
figured  and  described,  with  references  to  the  prior  discoveries  of  Dr,  Bigsby,  Captain 
Bayfield,  and  Dr.  Richardson.  Six  new  species  of  the  Arctinoceras,  and  five  of  the 
Huronia,  Ormoceras,  and  Orthocerata,  are  figured  and  described  in  the  most  splendid 
manner.  This  memoir  is  essential  to  all  who  would  understand  its  fossil  history, 
and  that  of  the  North  generally. 


SI  6  APPENDIX. 

Huron  from  Michilimackinac,  and  which  continues,  with  inter- 
ruptions of  water  only,  from  Detour  to  Drummoncl  Island,  and 
the  Manatoulines,  is  to  be  noticed  up  the  straits  as  high  as  Isle  a 
la  Crosse,  where  the  last  locality  of  a  pure  carbonate  of  lime 
appears  to  occur.  The  island  of  St.  Joseph  is  chiefly  primitive 
rock,  and  its  south  end  is  heavily  loaded  with  granitic,  porphy- 
ritic,  and  quartz  boulders.  The  north  shores  of  the  river,  oppo- 
site and  above  this  island,  are  entirely  of  the  granitic  series, 
which  continues  to  Gros  Cape  of  Lake  Superior.  On  reaching 
the  Neheesh*  or  Sailor's  Encampment  Island,  sandstone  rocks  of 
a  red  color  present  themselves,  and  are  found  also  on  the  Ameri- 
can side  of  the  river,  and  continue  to  characterize  it  to  the  Falls, 
or  Sault  de  Ste.  Marie,t  and  to  Point  Iroquois  and  Isle  Parisien 
in  Lake  Superior. 

The  Sault  of  St.  Mary's  is  upon  and  over  this  red  sandstone. 
The  river  makes  several  successive  leaps,  of  a  few  feet  at  a  time, 
in  its  central  channel,  falling,  altogether,  about  twenty -two  feet  in 
half  a  mile.  This  gives  it  a  foaming  appearance,  and  the  volume 
pours  a  heavy  murmur  on  the  ear.:}:  It  is,  of  course,  a  complete 
interruption  to  the  navigation  of  vessels,  which  can,  however, 
come  to  anchor  near  its  foot,  while  barges  may  be  pushed  up, 
empty,  on  the  American  shore.  The  water-power  created  by 
such  a  change  of  level,  is  such  as  must  commend  the  SDot,  at  a 
future  period,  to  manufacturers,  lumbermen,  and  miners.  The 
foot  of  these  falls  is  heavily  incumbered,  both  with  masses  of  the 
disrupted  sand-rock§  and  granitic  and  conglomerate  boulders. 

Red  Sandstone  of  Lake  Superior. — That  this  is  the  old  red 
sandstone,  may  be  inferred  simply  from  the  fact  that,  although 

*  strong  water. 

■j-  Reached  somewhere  about  1641,  by  the  French  missionaries. 

X  lu  1825,  Lieutenant  Charles  F.  Morton,  U.  S.  A.,  sent  to  ray  office  a  mass  of 
this  red  sand  rock,  of  about  twelve  inches  diameter,  perfectly  round  and  ball-shaped, 
which  he  had  directed  one  of  the  soldiers  to  pick  up,  in  an  excursion  among  the 
islands  of  the  lower  St.  Mary's.  This  ball  was  a  monument  of  that  physical  throe 
•which  had  originally  carried  this  river  through  the  sandstone  pass  of  St.  Mary's, 
having  been  manifestly  rounded  in  what  geologists  have  called  "a  pocket  hole"  in 
the  rock  at  the  falls,  and  afterwards  carried  away,  with  the  disrupted  rocks,  down 
the  valley. 

g  The  Indians  call  it  Pauwateeg  (water  leaping  on  the  rocks),  when  speaking  of 
the  phenomenon,  and  Pawating,  when  referring  to  the  place  of  it. 


APPENDIX.  317 

deposited  originally  in  horizontal  beds,  its  position  has  been  dis- 
turbed in  many  localities. 

Plastic  Clay  Stratum  of  the  Lakes. — The  northern  ex- 
tremity of  Muddy  Lake — a  sheet  of  water  some  twenty  miles  in 
length — is  the  head  of  the  straits,  and  the  beginning  of  the  River 
St.  Mary's.  This  sheet  of  water  has  the  property  of  being  ren- 
dered slightly  whitish,  or  turbid,  by  continuous  winds.  Its  bottom 
appears  to  be  formed  of  the  same  plastic  blue  clay  which  obstructs 
the  passage  of  vessels  of  large  draft  on  the  St.  Clair  flats,  and 
forms  an  impediment  of  a  similar  kind  in  this  river  in  Lake 
George.  This  stratum  seems  to  be  the  result  of  causes  not  now 
in  operation.  If  dredged  through,  or  excavated,  there  is  no  rea- 
son to  suppose  it  would  again  accumulate ;  for  the  waters  of  the 
lake  are  clear  and  pure,  and  carry  down  no  deposit  of  the  kind. 
These  clay  deposits  remain  to  attest  physical  changes  which  are 
past.  They  denote  the  demolition  of  formations  of  slate  in  the 
upper  regions,  which  have  been  broken  down  and  washed  away 
when  the  dominion  of  the  waters  was  far  more  potential  than  they 
now  are. 

This  formation  is  favorable  to  the  growth  of  some  species  of 
fresh-water  shells.  I  observed  several  species  of  the  anadonta 
and  the  plenorbis,  and  think,  from  the  broken  valves,  that  re- 
search would  develop  others, 

PORPHYEY  AND   CONGLOMERATE   BOULDEES. — A   formation  of 

red  jasper,  in  common  white  quartz,  exists,  in  the  bed  of  intersec- 
tion, on  the  southeastern  foot  of  Sugar  Island.  The  fragments 
of  jasper  are  of  a  bright  vermil  red,  quite  opaque,  and  have  pre- 
served their  angles.  I  had  observed  fragments  of  the  formation 
along  the  shores  of  the  lower  part  of  the  straits,  and  even  picked 
up  some  specimens,  entirely  abraded,  however,  on  the  south 
shores  of  the  Huron,  between  the  "White  Rock  and  Michili- 
mackinac — a  proof  of  the  course  of  the  drift. 

The  granitic  conglomerates  appear  quite  conclusive,  one  would 
think,  of  the  results  of  fusion.  The  attraction  of  aggregation 
would  seem  inadequate  to  hold  together  such  diverse  masses.  In 
these  curious  and  striking  masses  we  see  the  red  feldspathic 
granite,  black  and  shining  hornblende  rock,  white  fatty  quartz, 
and  striped  jasper,  held  together  as  firmly,  and  polished  by  attri- 
tion as  completely,  as  if  they  were — what  they  are  not — the  re- 
sults of  crystallization  in  this  aggregate  form. 


318  APPENDIX. 

Ekratic  Block  Group. — Wherever,  in  fact,  the  geologist  sets 
his  foot,  on  the  shores  of  the  upper  lakes,  he  finds  himself  on  the 
great  drift  stratum,  and  cannot  but  revert  to  that  era  when  waters, 
on  a  grander  scale,  swept  over  these  plains,  and  the  lakes  played 
rampantly  over  wider  areas.* 

Basin  of  Lake  Superior. — We  entered  this  island  sea  as  if 
by  a  kind  of  geological  gate,  in  which  the  sandstone  cliffs  of  Point 
Iroquois,  on  the  one  hand,  stand  opposite  to  the  granitical  hills 
of  Gross  Cape  on  the  other. 

In  order  to  conceive  of  its  geology,  it  may  subserve  the  pur- 
poses of  description  to  compare  it  to  a  vast  basonic  crater.  The 
rim  of  this  crater  has  been  estimated,  by  Sir  Alexander  Mackenzie, 
at  fifteen  hundred  miles.  The  primitive  formations  of  Labrador 
and  Hudson's  Bay  coasts  come  up,  so  as  to  form  the  eastern  and 
northern  sides  of  the  rim,  around  which  they  stand  in  cliffs  of 
sienitic  greenstone  and  hornblendic  rocks,  in  some  places  a  thou- 
sand feet  high.  On  its  south  and  southwest  shores,  this  formation 
of  the  elder  class  of  rocks  forms  also  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
coast;  as  in  the  rough  tract  of  Granite  Point,  the  Porcupine  and 
Iron  River  Mountains,  and  the  primitive  tract  west  of  Chegoime- 
gon,  or  Lapointe.  It  will  serve  to  denote  the  broken  character 
of  this  rim,  if  we  state  that  the  entire  plain  of  the  lake,  running 
against  and  fitting  to  this  rim,  was  originally  filled  up  with  the 
red,  gray,  and  mottled  sandstone,  which  gave  way  and  fell  in  at 
localities  west  of  the  great  Keweena  Peninsula,  converting  its 
bottom  into  an  anteclinal  axis. 

Volcanic   action,  to  which   this   disturbance   in   its  westerly 

/ 

*  During  a  subsequent  residence  of  eleven  years  at  this  point,  the  excavations 
made  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  in  digging  wells,  canals  made  by  the  military,  &c., 
fully  demonstrated  the  truth  of  this  general  observation.  In  these  positions,  it  was 
evident  that  some  greatly  superior  force  of  watery  removal,  such  as  does  not  now 
exist,  had  heaped  together  particles  of  similar  matters,  according  to  laws  which 
govern  moving,  compacted  masses  of  water,  leaving  clay  to  settle  according  to  the 
laws  of  diffused  clay,  sand  of  sand,  and  pebbles  and  boulders  of  pebbles  and 
boulders.  In  their  change  and  redeposit,  gravity  has  evidently  been  the  primary 
cause,  modified  by  compressed  currents,  attraction,  and  probably  those  secret  and 
still  undeveloped  magnetic  and  electric  influences  which  exist  in  connection  with 
astronomical  phenomena.  That  the  earth's  surface,  "standing  out  of  the  water  and 
in  the  water,"  has  been  disrupted  and  preyed  upon  by  oceanic  power,  no  one,  at 
this  day  of  geological  illumination,  will  deny. 


APPENDIX.  319 

bearings  may  be  attributed,  appears  to  have  thrown  up  the 
trap-rocks  of  the  Pic,  of  the  Porcupine  chain,  of  the  Isle  Royal 
group,  and  other  trap  islands,  and  the  long  peninsula  of  Ke- 
weena.  This  system  of  forces  appears  to  have  spent  itself  from 
the  northeast  to  the  southwest.  The  shocks  brought  with  them 
the  elements  of  the  copper  and  other  metallic  bodies  which  cha- 
racterize the  trap-rock.  They  exhausted  their  power,  on  the 
American  side,  west  of  the  granitic  tract  of  Chocolate  and  Dead 
Rivers,  and  the  Totosh  and  Cradle-Top  Mountains.  The  most 
violent  disturbance  took  place  at  the  west  of  the  Keweena  Pe- 
ninsula, and  thence  it  was  propagated  in  the  direction  of  the 
higher  Ontonagon,  the  Iron,  and  the  Montreal  rivers. 

This  disturbance  of  the  level  of  the  sandstone  produced  undula- 
tions, which  are  observable  on  the  St.  Mary's,  where  the  variation 
from  a  level  is  not  more  than  eight  or  ten  degrees.  They  left 
portions  of  it — as  between  Isle  au  Train  and  the  Firesteel  River — 
undisturbed;  and  they  threw  other  portions  of  it — as  between 
Iron  and  Montreal  rivers — almost  completely  on  their  edges. 

The  entire  north  shore  from  Gargontwa  to  the  old  Grand 
Portage,  inclusive  of  the  Michepicotin  and  Pic  regions,  cannot  be 
particularly  alluded  to,  as  that  part  of  the  coast  was  not  visited ; 
but  the  accounts  of  observers  represent  it  as  consisting  of  trap- 
rocks.  Without  the  application  of  such  forces,  it  appears  impos- 
sible to  understand  the  geology  of  this  lake,  or  to  account  for  the 
sectional  and  disturbed  formations. 

The  lake  itself,  whose  depth  is  great,  and  which  has  an.  extreme 
length  of  about  500  miles,  by  an  extreme  width  of  some  180,  is 
endowed  with  powerful  means  of  existing  elemental  action.  This 
consists  almost  entirely  of  the  force  of  its  winds  and  long,  sweep- 
ing waves.  Its  bottom  may,  in  this  light,  be  looked  upon  as  an 
immense  mortar  or  triturating  apparatus,  in  which  its  sandstones, 
trap-boulders,  and  pebbles  are  driven  about  and  comminuted. 
This  power  has  greatly  changed  its  configuration,  and  the  process 
of  these  mutations  is  daily  going  on. 

It  is  only  by  such  a  power  of  geological  action  that  we  can 
account  for  the  poAverful  demolitions  and  inroads  which  it  has 
made  upon  some  parts  of  its  southern  borders.  The  coasts  of  the 
Pictured  Rocks,  which  have  a  prominent  development  of  about 
12  to  15  miles,  consist  in  horizontal  strata  of  coarse  gray  sand- 


820  APPENDIX. 

Stone,  of  little  cohering  power.  The  effect  of  waves  beating  upon 
rocks  is  to  communicate  a  curved  line.  This  has  operated  to 
excavate  numerous  and  extensive  caves  into  the  coast.  These, 
after  reaching  hundreds  of  feet,  have  in  some  cases  united.  The 
effect  is  to  isolate  portions  of  the  coast,  and  to  leave  it  in  fearful 
pinnacles,  having  many  of  the  architectural  characters  of  Gothic 
or  Doric  ruins. 

The  portion  of  coast  immediately  west  of  Grand  Marrais  is 
scarcely  less  unique.  It  denotes  the  effect  of  the  prostrating 
power  of  the  lake  in  another  way.  The  sandstone  of  parts  of 
the  coast,  ground  down  into  yellow  sand  by  this  vast  machinery, 
is  lifted  up  by  the  winds  as  soon  as  it  reaches  the  point  of  dry- 
ness, and  heaped  up  into  vast  dunes.  Standing  trees  are  buried 
in  these  tempests  of  sand,  and  its  effect  is,  for  about  nine  miles 
along  the  coast,  to  present,  at  an  elevation  of  several  hundred 
feet,  a  scene  of  arid  desolation,  which  can  only  be  equalled  by 
the  Arabic  deserts. 

A  dyke  of  trap  seems  once  to  have  extended  from  the  north 
shore  to  Point  Keweena;  but,  if  so,  it  has  been  prostrated,  and 
its  contents — veins  and  deposits,  silicious  and  metallic — scattered 
profusely  around  the  shores  of  the  lakes.  A  cause  less  general 
is  hardly  sufficient  to  account  for  the  wide  distribution  of  frag- 
ments of  the  copper  veins  and  vein-stones  which  have  so  long 
been  noticed  as  characters  of  this  lake.  The  basal  remains  of  this 
antique  dyke  form  the  peninsula  of  Keweena.  The  tempests 
beating  against  this  barrier  from  the  northwest,  have  ripped  up 
terrific  areas  from  the  solid  rock,  and  left  its  covering,  amygda- 
loid and  rubblestones,  in  fantastic  patches  upon  the  more  solid 
parts,  or  constituting  islands  in  front  of  them. 

Structure  of  its  southern  Coast. — The  estimated  distance 
from  Sault  Ste.  Marie  to  Fond  du  Lac  is  a  fraction  over  500  miles. 
The  sandstone,  as  it  appears  in  the  Falls  of  the  St.  Mary's,  does 
not  appear  to  be  entirely  level.  It  exhibits  an  undulation  of 
about  8°  or  10°,  dipping  to  west-northwest.  Two  instances  of 
this  waved  stratification  of  the  Lake  Superior  sandstone  deserve 
notice.  The  first  terminates  at  the  intersection  of  red  sand  rock 
at  la  Point  des  Grande  Sables  with  the  beginning  of  the  horizontal 
strata  of  the  Pictured  Eocks.  "We  again  observe  an  inclination 
of  the  strata  of  a  few  degrees  at  Grand  Island,  which  is  more 


APPENDIX.  321 

ingfish  lliver,  and  appears  to  dip  at  Isle  aux  Trains,  about  twenty- 
miles  northeast.  The  scenery  is  peculiarly  soft  and  pleasing  in 
passing  the  Huron  Islands,  a  granitic  group,  and  directing  the 
view,  as  in  the  sketch,  to  the  coast  and  the  rough  granitical  hills 
rising  behind  Huron  Bay.  The  strata  are  level,  as  shown  above, 
around  the  Bay  of  Presque  Isle  and  Granite  Point,  and  continue 
so,  resting  on  the  roots  of  the  granitical  tract  of  the  Totosh^  or 
Schoolcraft,  and  Cradletop  Mountains,  and  at  Point  aux  Beignes, 
and  Keweena  Bay.  This  level  position  of  the  rock  is  preserved 
to  the  south  cape  of  the  shallow  bay  of  the  Bete  Gre,  on  the 
north,  at  which  the  trap-dykes  of  the  peninsula  first  begin ;  and 
so  continues  after  passing  that  rugged  coast  of  the  vitreous  series 
of  that  remarkable  point,  to  and  beyond  Eagle  Eiver  and  Sandy 
Bay,  in  the  approach  to  the  portage  of  the  Keweena. 

The  same  horizontality  is  observed  on  the  headland  west  of  it, 
and  upon  all  the  points  and  headlands  to  Misery  and  Firesteel 
Rivers  and  the  mouth  of  the  Ontonagon.  The  trap-dyke  of  Ke- 
weena crosses  this  river  about  ten  miles,  in  a  direct  line,  inland. 

At  Iron  Eiver,  we  observe  a  stratum  of  compact  gray  grau- 
wacke,  over  the  hackly  bed  of  which  that  river  forces  its  way 
during  the  spring  months,  and  stands  in  tanks  and  pools  during 
the  summer.  On  reaching  the  foot  of  the  Porcupine  Mountains, 
the  sandstone,  which  is  here  of  a  dark  chocolate  color,  with  quartz 
pebbles  of  the  bigness  of  a  pigeon's  egg^  and  organic  remains  of 
palaozoic  type,  is  found  to  be  tilted  up  into  nearly  a  vertical  posi- 
tion, as  shown  in  the  sketch.  The  grauwacke  reappears,  in  a  most 
striking  manner,  at  the  Falls  of  Presque  Isle  River,  where  the 
whole  mass  of  water  precipitated  from  the  highlands  drops  into 
a  vast  pot-hole,  a  hundred  feet  wide  and  perhaps  twice  that  depth. 
The  whole  upper  series  of  rocks,  from  the  Porcupine  Cliffs  west 
to  the  Montreal  River,  is  a  conglomerate.  At  the  Falls  of  the 
Montreal,  the  river  drops  over  the  vertical  edges  of  the  red  sand- 
stone. Beyond  the  Bay  of  St.  Chares,  at  Lapointe  Chegoimigon, 
masses  of  sienitic  mountains  arise,  which  have  their  apex  near  La 
Riviere  de  Fromboise. 

The  Islands  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  or  Federation  Group, 

appear  to  be  all  based  on  the  sienitic  or  trap,  with  overlying  red 

sandstone ;    which  latter  again  reappears  on  the  point  of  the 

entrance  into  Fond  du  Lac  Bay,  and  marks  its  southern  coast,  till 

21 


322  APPENDIX. 

Dear  the  entrance  of  the  Brule,  or  Misakoda  Kiver,  as  seen  in  the 
illustration  beneath.  Shores  of  sand  then  intercept  its  view  to 
the  entrance  of  the  Eiver  St.  Louis,  and  up  its  channel  to  its  first 
rapids,  about  eighteen  miles,  where  the  red  sandstone  again 
appears,  as  the  first  series  of  the  Cabotian  Mountains, 

Serpentine  Eock. — At  the  nearest  point  north  of  Eivier  du 
Mort  is  a  headland  of  this  rock,  jutting  out  from  the  granitical 
formation.  Lapping  against  it,  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  is  a 
curious  formation  of  magnesian  breccia.  The  serpentine  rock 
appears,  in  nearly  every  locality  examined,  to  be  highly  charged 
with  particles  of  chromate  of  iron.  It  may  be  expected  to  yield 
the  usual  magnesian  minerals.*  Its  position  is  between  the  Carp 
Eiver  and  Granite  Point,  in  the  Bay  of  Presque  Isle,  or  rather 
Chocolate  Eiver,  for  that  river  pours  into  this  bay  by  far  the 
largest  quantity  of  water.f 

Ancient  Drift-Stratum. — In  the  intervals  between  the  points 
and  headlands,  where  the  rock  formation  is  exposed  by  streams 
or  gorges,  the  drift,  or  erratic  boulder  stratum,  is  found.  Such 
is  its  position  beneath  the  sand-dunes  of  the  Grandes  Sables,  and 
in  the  elder  plains  and  uplands,  stretching  with  interruptions  on 
the  coast  from  the  head  of  the  Mary's  valley  to  that  of  the  St. 
Louis.  The  edge  of  this  formation  is  composed  of  the  sand  and 
loose  pebbles  and  boulders  of  the  lake.  Mighty  as  are  the  exist- 
ing causes  of  action  of  the  lake  in  beating  down  and  disrupting 
strata  of  every  kind,  and  in  reproducing  alluvial  lands  and  dunes, 
they  are  weak  and  local  when  compared  to  the  causes  which  have 
spread  these  ponderous  boulders,  and  drift  masses  over  latitudes 
and  longitudes  which  appear  to  be  limited  only  by  the  leading 
elevations  of  the  continent.  That  oceanic  torrents  of  water,  sud- 
denly heaped  on  the  land,  and  wedged  into  compactness  and 
power  now  iinknown  to  it,  is  after  all,  the  most  plausible  theory 
of  the  dispersion  of  this  formation,  and  this  theory  avoids  the 
necessary  local  one  of  the  glacial  dispersion  which  presupposes  a 
very  low  temperature  over  the  whole  surface  of  the  globe. 

*  In  1831,  in  making  some  explorations  of  this  rock  with  gunpowder,  I  found  the 
serpentine  in  a  crystalline  state,  of  a  beautiful  deep-green  color,  but  appearing  as 
if  the  crystallization  was  pseudoraorphous. 

f  The  extensive  iron  mines  of  Marquette  Coiuity,  Upper  Michigan,  are  now 
worked  in  this  vicinity. 


APPENDIX.  323 

Kaugwudju.* — This  imposing  mass  of  tlie  trap-roclcs  is  tlie 
highest  on.  the  southern  shores  of  Lake  Superior.  The  following 
outlines  of  it  are  taken  from  a  point  on  the  approach  to  the  On- 
tonagon River,  about  forty  miles  distant. 

They  rise  to  their  apex  about  thirty  miles  west  of  that  stream, 
in  north  lat.  46°  52'  2",  as  observed  by  Captain  Douglass.  They 
are  distant  three  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  St.  Mary's.  In  ii 
serene  day  they  present  a  lofty  outline,  and  were  seen  by  us  from 
the  east,  at  the  distance  of  about  eighty  miles.  The  Indians  re- 
present them  to  have  a  deep  tarn,  with  very  imposing  perpen- 
dicular wails,  at  one  of  the  highest  points.  If  Lake  Superior  be. 
estimated  at  six  hundred  and  forty  feet  above  the  Atlantic,  as  my 
notes  indicate,  its  peaks  are  higher  than  any  estimates  we  have  of 
the  source  of  the  Mississippi,  and  are,  at  least,  the  highest 
elevations  on  this  part  of  the  continent.  The  granitical  tract 
of  the  St.  Francis,  ^ Missouri, f  and  of  the  quartz  high  lands  of 
Wachita,  Arkansas,  the  only  two  known  primitive  elevations  be- 
tween the  Rocky  and  Alleghany  chains,  are  far  less  elevated. 

I  have  now  taken  a  rapid  glance  at  the  formations  along  the 
southern  shore  of  the  lake  between  St.  Mary's  and  Fond  du  Lac ; 
but  have  passed  by  some  features  which  may  be  thought  to  merit 
attention. 

Existing  Lake  Drift, — The  gleaner  among  the  rock  debris 
of  this  lake  has  a  field  of  labor  which  is  not  dissimilar  to  that  of 
the  fossilist.  If  he  has  not,  so  to  say,  to  put  joint  to  joint,  to 
establish  his  conclusions,  he  has  a  mineralogical  adjustment  to 
make  every  way  as  obscure.  A  boulder  of  sienite,  or  a  mass  of 
sandstone,  or  grauwacke,  may  be  easily  referred  to  a  contiguous 
rock.  But  when  the  observer  meets  with  species  which  are  ap- 
parently foreign  to  the  region,  he  is  placed  in  a  dilemma  between 
the  toil  of  an  impossible  scrutiny  and  the  danger  of  an  unli- 
censed conjecture. 

Among  the  more  common  masses  which  may  be  assigned  a 
locality  within  the  compass  of  the  lake,  are  granites,  sienites, 
hornblendes,  greenstones,  schists,  traps,  grauwackes,  sandstones, 
porphyries,  quartz  rocks,  serpentines,  breccias,  amygdaloids,  am- 

*  Porcupine  Mountains.     From  knug,  a  porcupine,  nnd  wudju,  mountain. 
J   Vide  ray  view  of  the  lead  mines,  iii  the  Appendix  to  "  Scenes  and  Adventures 
in  the  Oziu-k  Mountains." 


824  APPENDIX. 

pliiboles,  and  a  variety  of  masses  in  whicli  epidote  and  horn- 
blende are  essential  constituents.  With  these,  the  coast  mineral- 
ogist mnst  associate,  in  place  or  out  of  place,  agates,  chalcedonies, 
carnelians,  zeolite,  prehnite,  calcareous  spar,  crystalline  quartz, 
amethystine  quartz,  coarse  jaspers,  noble  serpentine,  iron-sand, 
iron-glance,  sulphate  of  lead,  chromate  of  iron,  native  copper, 
carbonate  of  copper,  and  various  species  of  pyrites.  These  were, 
at  least,  my  principal  rewards  for  about  eighteen  days'  labor,  in 
scrutinizing,  at  every  possible  point,  its  lengthened  and  varied 
coasts. 

Cupreous  Fokmation, — The  whole  region,  above  Grand  Is- 
land at  least,  appears  to  have  been  the  theatre  of  trap-dykes,  and 
an  extensive  action  from  beneath,  which  brought  to  the  surface 
the  elements  of  the  formation  of  copper  veins.  These  have  not 
been  much  explored ;  but,  so  far  as  observation  goes,  there  are 
evidences  which  cannot  be  resisted,  that  the  region  contains  this 
metal  in  various  shapes  and  great  abundance.  I  refer  to  my  re- 
port of  the  6th  of  November,  1820,  for  evidences  of  a  valuable 
deposit  of  this  metal  in  the  valley  of  the  Ontonagon  River,  and  at 
other  points,  I  found  the  metal  in  its  native  state  at  various 
other  localities,  and  always  under  physical  evidences  which  de- 
noted its  existence,  in  the  geological  column  of  the  lake,  in  quan- 
tity. These  indications  were  confined  almost  exclusively  to  the 
area  intervening  between  the  peninsula  of  Keweena,  and  La 
Pointe  Chegoimegon,  a  distance  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles.  Of  this  district,  the  two  extremities  would  make  the  On- 
tonagon Valley  about  the  centre,*  A  profile  of  one  of  the  de- 
tached pieces,  found  in  the  Ontonagon  Valley,  and  forwarded  to 
you  by  Mr,  Van  Rensselaer,  is  herewith  given, 

ViTRic  Boulders, — Among  the  debris  of  Lake  Superior  are 
masses  of  trachyte,  and  also  small  pieces  of  the  sienitic  series, 
in  which  the  red  feldspar  has  a  calcined  appearance,  the  quartz 
being,  at  the  same  time,  converted  into  a  perfectly  vitreous 
texture.  Similar  productions,  but  not  of  the  same  exact  charac- 
ter, exist  on  the  sandy  summits  of  the  Grande  Sable.     These 

*  I  would  also  refer,  for  subsequent  information,  to  my  report  of  the  1st  of  Oc- 
tober, 1822,  made  in  compliance  to  a  resolution  of  the  Senate,  and  printed  in  the 
Executiye  Documents  of  that  year,  No.  365,  17th  Congress,  2d  session. 


APPENDIX.  325 

exbibit  an  exterior  of  glistening  cells  or  orifices:  it  may  be  possi- 
ble that  they  have  been  produced  by  fusion ;  but  I  think  not. 
The  smooth  cells  appear  like  grains  of  sand  hurled  by  the  winds 
over  these  bleak  dunes.  I  have  brought  from  that  locality  a 
single  specimen  of  pitchstone,  perfectly  resinous,  bleak  and 
shining. 

La  Pointe  Chegoimegon. — A  sketch  of  these  islands,  as  given 
in  the  Narrative,  denotes  that  their  number  is  greatly  underrated, 
and  will  serve  to  show  the  configuration  of  a  very  marked  part 
of  the  Superior  coast.  It  must,  hereafter,  become  one  of  the 
principal  harbors  and  anchoring-ground  for  vessels  of  the  lake. 

Valley  of  the  St.  Louis  River. — The  St.  Louis  River  takes 
its  rise  on  the  southern  side  of  the  Hauteur  des  Terres,  being  the 
same  formation  of  the  drift  and  erratic  block  stratum  which 
gives  origin,  at  a  more  westerly  point,  to  the  Mississippi.  Its 
tributaries  lie  northwest  of  the  Rainy  Lakes.  Vermilion  Lake, 
a  well-known  point  of  Indian  trade,  is  a  tributary  to  its  volume, 
which  is  large,  and  its  outlet  rushes  with  a  great  impetus  to  the 
lake.  At  what  height  its  sources  lie  above  Lake  Superior,  we 
can  only  conjecture.  It  was  estimated  to  have  a  fall  of  two  hun- 
dred and  nine  feet  to  the  head  of  the  Portage  aux  Coteaux,  and 
may  have  a  similar  rise  above. 

By  far  its  most  distinguishing  feature  is  its  passage  at  the 
Grand  Portage  through  the  Cabotian  Mountains.  We  entered  it 
at  Fond  du  Lac  and  pursued  up  its  channel  through  alluvial 
grounds,  in  which  it  winds  with  a  deep  channel  about  nineteen 
or  tv/enty  miles  to  the  foot  of  its  first  rapids.  This  point  was 
found  one  mile  above  the  station  of  the  American  Fur  Company's 
trading-house.  Here  we  encountered  the  first  rock  stratum,  in 
the  shape  of  our  old  geological  acquaintance,  the  old  red  sand- 
stone of  Lake  Superior.  It  was  succeeded  in  the  first  sixteen 
miles,  in  the  course  of  which  the  river  is  estimated  to  fall  two 
hundred  feet — most  of  it  in  the  first  twenty-nine  miles — by  trap, 
argillite,  and  grauwacke.  Through  these  barriers  the  water  forces 
its  way,  producing  a  series  of  rapids  and  falls  which  the  observer 
often  beholds  with  amazement.  The  river  is  continually  in  a 
foam  for  nine  miles,  and  the  wonder  is  that  such  a  furious  and 
heavy  volume  of  water  should  not  have  prostrated  everything  be- 
fore it.     The  sandstone,  grauwacke,  and  the  argillite,  the  latter 


326  APPENDIX. 

of  which  stands  on  its  edges,  have  opposed  but  a  feeble  barrier ; 
but  the  trap  species,  resisting  with  the  firmness,  as  it  has  the  color 
of  cast-iron,  stand  in  masses  which  threaten  the  life  and  safety  of 
everything  which  may  be  hurled  against  them.  I  found  a  loose 
specimen  of  sulphuret  of  lead  and  some  common  quartz  in  place 
in  the  slate  rock,  a  vein  of  clorite  slate,  and  a  locality  of  coarse 
graphite,  to  reward  my  search. 

The  Portage  aux  Coteaux,  which  is  over  the  basetting  edges  of 
the  argillite,  will  give  a  lively  idea  of  the  effects  of  this  rock 
upon  the  feet  of  the  loaded  voyageurs. 

The  sandstone  is  last  seen  near  the  Galley  on  the  Nine  Mile 
Portage.  Above  the  Knife  Portage,  some  eight  miles  higher, 
vast  black  boulders  of  hornblendic  and  basaltic  blocks,  are  more 
frequent ;  and  these  masses  are  observed  to  be  more  angular  in 
their  shapes  than  the  boulders  and  blocks  of  kindred  character 
encountered  on  the  shores  of  Lakes  Superior  and  Huron.  There 
is  a  vast  sphagnous  formation,  which  spreads  westwardly  from 
the  head  of  the  Coteau  Portage,  and  gives  rise  to  the  remote  tri- 
butaries of  Milles  lac  and  Eum  River.  Much  of  this  consists  of 
what  the  Indians  term  muskeeg,  or  elastic  bog.  Hurricanes  and 
tempests  have  made  fearful  inroads  upon  areas  of  its  timber,  and 
it  is  seldom  crossed,  even  by  the  Indians.  This  tract  lies  east  of 
the  summit  of  sandhills  and  drift,  which  environ  Sandy  Lake,  the 
Konntaguma  of  the  Chippewas.  The  portage  of  the  Savanna 
River,  a  tributary  of  the  St.  Louis,  is  the  route  pursued  by  per- 
sons with  canoes ;  there  is  no  other  species  of  water  craft  adapt- 
ed to  this  navigation.  But  wherever  crossed,  this  swamp-land 
tract  imposes  labor  and  toil  which  are  of  no  ordinary  cast.  It  is 
the  equivalent  of  the  argillite  which  has  been  broken  down  and 
disintegrated,  forming  beds  of  clay  soil  which  are  impervious  to 
the  water,  and  we  niay  regard  this  ancient  slate  formation  of 
the  true  source  of  the  St.  Lawrence  tributaries,  as  the  remote 
origin  of  those  extensive  beds  of  an  argillaceous  kind,  which 
exist  at  many  places  in  the  lower  lakes  and  plains. 

Immediately  west  of  the  Savanna  Portage,  the  Komtagama 
summit  is  reached.  This  summit  consists  wholly  of  arid  pebble 
and  boulder  drift  of  the  elder  period.  It  exhibits  evidences  of 
broken-down  amygdaloids,  which  not  only  furnish  a  part  of  its 
pebbles,  but  also  of  the  contents  of  this  stratum,  in  numerous 


APPENDIX.  327 

agates  and  otlier  subspecies  of  the  quartz  family  wliich  arc  found 
scattered  over  the  surface.  This  is,  in  fact,  the  origin  of  that 
extensive  diffusion  of  these  species,  wliich  is  found  in  the  valley 
of  the  Upper  Mississippi,  as  at  Lake  Pepin,  &c.,  and  which 
has  even  been  traced,  in  small  pieces,  as  low  as  St.  Louis  and 
llerculaneum  in  Missouri.*  We  may  conclude  that  the  ancient 
sandstones,  slates,  and  rubblestone,  and  amygdaloids,  of  which 
traces  still  remain,  were  swept  from  the  summit  of  the  Mississippi 
by  those  ancient  floods  which  appear  to  have  diffused  the  boulder 
drift  from  the  North. 

Sandy  Lake. — The  first  view  of  this  body  of  water  was  ob- 
tained from  one  of  those  eminences  situated  at  the  influx  of  the 
west  Savanna  River. 

This  lake  is  bounded,  on  its  western  borders,  by  the  delta  of  the 
Mississippi ;  its  outlet  is  about  two  miles  in  length.  "We  here 
first  beheld  the  object  of  our  search.  The  soil  on  its  banks  is  of 
the  richest  alluvial  character.  From  this  point,  dense  forests  and 
a  moderately  elevated  soil,  varying  from  three  or  four  to  fifteen 
feet,  confined  the  view,  on  either  side,  during  more  than  two  days' 
march.  On  the  third  day  after  leaving  Sandy  Lake,  at  an  early 
hour,  Vv'e  reached  the  Falls  of  Pakagama.  Here  the  rock  strata 
show  themselves  for  the  first  time  on  the  Mississippi,  in  a  promi- 
nent ledge  of  quartz  rock  of  a  gray  color.  Through  this  forma- 
tion the  Mississippi,  here  narrowed  to  less  than  half  its  width, 
forces  a  passage.  The  fall  of  its  level  in  about  fifty  rods  may  be 
sixteen  or  eighteen  feet.  There  is  no  cascade  or  leap,  properly  so 
called,  but  a  foaming  channel  of  extraordinary  velocity,  which  it 
is  alike  impossible  to  ascend  or  descend  with  any  species  of  water 
craft.  It  lies  in  the  shape  of  an  elbow.  We  made  the  portage 
on  the  north  side. 

Pakagama  Summit, — The  observer,  when  he  has  surmounted 
the  summit,  immediately  enters  on  a  theatre  of  savannas,  level  to 
the  eye,  and  elevated  but  little  above  the  water,  Yistas  of  grass, 
reeds,  and  aquatic  plants  spread  in  every  direction.  On  these 
grassy  plains  the  river  winds  about,  doubling  and  redoubling  on 
itself,  and  increasing  its  cord  of  distance  in  a  ratio  which,  by  the 
most  moderate  computation,  would  seem  extravagant.     On  those 

*   Vide  View  of  the  leml  mines. 


328  APPENDIX. 

plateaux,  and  the  small  rivers  and  lakes  connected  with  them,  the 
wild  rice  reaches  the  highest  state  of  perfection. 

Our  men  toiled  with  their  paddles  till  the  third  day,  through 
this  unparalleled  maze  of  water  and  plants,  when  we  reached  the 
summit  of  the  Upper  Bed  Cedar  or  Cass  Lake,  where  we  en- 
camped. In  this  distance  no  rock  strata  appeared,  nor  any  forma- 
tion other  than  a  jutting  ridge  of  sand,  or  an  alluvial  plain. 
Plateau  on  plateau  had,  indeed,  carried  us  from  one  level  or  basin 
to  another,  like  a  pair  of  steps,  till  we  had  reached  our  extreme 
height. 

Cass  Lake  Basin". — From  estimates  made,  this  lake  is  shown 
to  lie  at  thirteen  hundred  and  thirty  feet  above  the  Atlantic* 
This  is  a  small  elevation,  when  we  consider  it  as  lying  on  the 
southern  flank  of  the  transverse  formation  which  forms  the  con- 
necting link  with  the  Rocky  Mountains.  A  rise  or  a  sub- 
sidence of  this  part  of  the  continent  to  this  amount,  would 
throw  the  Hudson's  Bay  and  Arctic  waters  down  the  Mississippi 
valley.  The  scenery  of  its  coasts  is  in  part  arenaceous  plains, 
and  in  part  arable  land,  yielding  corn  to  the  Indians. 

SoUECES  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI. — In  order  to  understand  the 
geology  of  this  region,  it  is  necessary  to  premise,  that  the  St. 
Lawrence,  the  Hudson's  Bay,  and  the  Mexican  Gulf  waters  are 
separated  by  a  ridge  or  watershed  of  diluvial  hills,  called  the 
Hauteur  des  Terres,  which  begins  immediately  west  of  the  basin 
of  the  Rainy  Lakes  and  Rainy  Lake  River.  This  high  ground 
subtends  the  utmost  sources  of  the  Mississippi,  and  reaches  to  the 
summit  of  Ottertail  Lake,  where  it  divides  the  tributaries  of  the 
Red  River  of  Lake  Winnepec  from  those  of  the  Des  Corbeau,  or 
Great  Crow-Wing  River. 

Within  this  basin,  which  circumscribes  a  sweep  of  several 
hundred  miles,  there  appears  to  have  been  deposited,  upon  the 
trap  and  primary  rocks  which  form  its  nucleus,  a  sedimentary 
argillaceous  deposit,  capable  of  containing  water.  Upon  this,  the 
sand  and  pebble  drift  reposes  in  strata  of  unequal  thickness,  and 
the  sand  is  often  developed  in  ridges  and  plains,  bearing  species 
of  the  pine.     The  effect  has  been,  that  the  immense  amount  of 

*  Agreeable  to  barometric  observations  made  in  1836,  by  Mr.  Nicollet,  its  true 
altitude  is  found  to  be  1,402  feet  above  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Its  latitude,  by  the 
game  authority,  is  47°  25^  23". 


APPENDIX.  329 

vapor  condensed  upon  these  summits,  and  falling  in  dews,  rains, 
and  snows,  being  arrested  by  the  impervious  subsoil  of  clay,  has 
concentrated  itself  in  innumerable  lakes,  of  all  imaginable  forms, 
from  half  a  mile  to  thirty  miles  long.  These  are  connected  by  a 
network  of  rivers,  which  pour  their  redundancy  into  the  Missis- 
sippi, and  keep  up  a  circulation  over  the  whole  vast  area.  The 
sand  plains  often  resting  around  the  shores  of  these  lakes  create  the 
impression  of  bodies  of  water  resting  on  sand,  which  is  a  fallacy. 
Some  of  these  bodies  of  water  are  choked  up,  or  not  well  drained, 
and  overflow  their  borders,  forming  sphagnous  tracts.  Hence  the 
frequent  succession  of  arid  sand  plains,  impassable  muskeegs,  and 
arable  areas  on  the  same  plateaux.  Every  system  of  the  latter,  of 
the  same  altitude,  constitutes  a  plateau.  The  highest  of  these  is 
the  absolute  source  of  the  Mississippi  waters.  The  next  descend- 
ing series  forms  another  plateau,  and  so  on,  till  the  river  finally 
plunges  over  St.  Anthony's  Falls. 

In  this  descending  series  of  plateaux,  the  Cass,  Leech  Lake,  and 
Little  Lake  Winnipec  form  the  third  and  fourth  levels. 

In  descending  the  Mississippi  below  the  Pakagama,  the  first 
stratum  of  rock,  which  rises  through  the  delta  of  the  river, 
occurs  between  the  mouth  of  the  Nokasippi  and  Elm  Rivers, 
below  the  influx  of  the  Great  De  Corbeau.  This  rock,  which 
is  greenstone  trap,  rises  conspicuously  in  the  bed  of  the  stream, 
in  a  rocky  isle  seated  in  the  rapid  called — I  know  not  with 
what  propriety — the  Big  Falls,  or  Grande  Chute.  The  pre- 
cipitous and  angular  falls  of  this  striking  object  decide  that 
the  bed  of  the  stream  is  at  this  point  on  the  igneous  grani- 
tical  and  greenstone  series.  This  formation  is  seen  at  a  few 
points  above  the  water,  until  we  pass  some  bold  and  striking 
eminences  of  shining  and  highly  crystalline  hornblendic  sienite,- 
which  rises  in  the  elevation  called  by  us  Peace  Rock,  on  the 
left  bank,  near  the  Osaukis  Rapids.  This  rock  lies  directly 
opposite  to  the  principal  encampment  on  the  27th  of  July,  which 
was  on  an  elevated  prairie  on  the  west  bank.  To  this  point  a 
delegation  of  Sioux  had  ascended  on  an  embassy  of  peace  from 
Fort  Suelling  to  the  Chippewas,  having  affixed  on  a  pole  what 
the  exploring  party  called  a  bark  letter,  the  ideas  being  repre- 
sented symbolically  by  a  species  of  picture  writing,  or  hiero- 
glyphics.  In  allusion  to  this  embassy,  this  locality  was  called  the 


330  APPENDIX. 

Peace  Rock.  This  rock  is  sienite.  It  is  liigblj  crystalline,  and 
extends  several  miles.  Its  position  must  be,  from  the  best 
accounts,  in  north  latitude  about  41°  30'.  From  this  point  to 
Rum  River,  a  distance  of  seventy  miles,  no  other  point  of  the 
intrusion  of  this  formation  above  the  prairie  soil  was  observed. 

Introduction  of  the  Pal^eontological  Rocks. — After  pass- 
ing some  fifty  miles  below  this  locality  there  are  evidences  that 
the  river,  in  its  progress  south,  has  now  reached  the  vicinity  of 
the  great  carboniferous  and  metalliferous  formations,  which,  for 
so  great  a  length,  and  in  so  striking  a  manner,  characterize  both 
banks  of  the  Mississippi  below  St.  Anthony's  Falls.  About  nine 
or  ten  miles  before  reaching  these  Falls,  this  change  of  geological 
character  is  developed;  and  on  reaching  the  Falls  the  river  is 
found  to  be  precipitated,  at  one  leap,  over  strata  of  white  sand- 
stone, overlaid  by  the  metalliferous  limestone.  The  channel  is 
divided  by  an  island,  and  drops  in  single  sheets,  about  sixteen  to 
eighteen  feet,  exclusive  of  the  swift  water  above  the  brink,  or  of 
the  rapids  for  several  hundred  yards  below.  This  sandstone  is 
composed  of  grains  of  pure  and  nearly  limpid  cpartz,  held  to- 
gether by  the  cohesion  of  aggregation.  If  my  observations  were 
Avell  taken  it  embraces,  sparingly,  orbicular  masses  of  hornblende. 
It  is  horizontal,  and  constitutes,  in  some  places,  walls  of  stratifica- 
tion, which  are  remarkable  for  their  whiteness  and  purity.  This 
sandstone  is  overlaid  by  the  cliff  limestone,  the  same  in  character, 
which  assumes  at  some  points  a  silicious,  and  at  others,  a  mag- 
nesian  character.  It  is  manifestly  the  same  great  metalliferous 
rock  which  accompanies  the  lead  ore  of  Missouri  and  mines  of 
Peosta  or  Dubuque.  There  rests  upon  it  the  elder  drift  stratum 
of  boulders,  pebble,  and  loam,  which  marks  the  entire  valley. 
This  latter  embraces  boulders  of  quartz  and  hornblende  rock, 
along  with  limestones  and  sandstones.  It  is  overlaid  by  about 
eighteen  inches  of  black  alluvial  carbonaceous  mould. 

From  St.  Anthony's  Falls  the  river  is  perpetually  walled  on 
either  side  with  those  high  and  picturesque  cliffs  which  give  it 
so  imposing  and  varied  an  appearance,  and  its  current  flows  on 
with  a  majesty  which  seems  to  the  imagination  to  make  it  rejoice 
in  its  might,  confident  of  a  power  which  will  enable  it  to  reach 
and  carry  its  name  to  the  ocean  in  its  unchanged  integrity. 

St.  Peter's  River  and  Valley. — The  importance,  fertility, 


APPENDIX.  331 

and  value  of  this  tributary  have  particularly  impressed  every 
member  of  the  party.  Its  position  as  the  central  point  of  the 
Sioux  power,  and  its  border  position  to  the  Chippewas,  the  repre- 
sentative tribe  of  the  great  Algonquin  flimily,  render  it  now  a 
place  of  note,  which  fully  justifies  the  policy  of  the  department  in 
establishing  a  military  post  at  the  confluence  of  the  river ;  and 
the  importance  cannot  soon  pass  away,  in  the  progress  of  the  set- 
tlement of  the  Mississippi  Yallcy.*  It  is  the  great  route  of  com- 
munication with  the  valley  of  the  Red  River  of  the  North,  and 
the  agricultural  and  trading^  settlements  of  Lord  Selkirk  in  that 
fertile  valley,  and  its  complete  exploration  by  a  public  officer  is 
desirable,  if  not  demanded.f 

Of  its  geological  character  but  little  is  known,  and  that  con- 
nects it  with  both  the  great  formations  which  have  been  noticed 
as  succeeding  each  other  at  the  great  Peace  Rock.  That  the 
granitical  formation  reaches  it  at  a  high  point  is  probable,  from 
the  large  reported  boulders.  The  Indians  bring  from  the  blue 
earth  fork  of  it,  one  of  their  most  esteemed  green  and  blue  argilla- 
ceous pigments,  of  which  the  coloring  matter  appears  to  be  car- 
bonate of  copper.  They  also  bring  from  the  Coteau  des  Prairie, 
probably  Carver's  "shining  mountains,"  specimens  of  that  fine 
and  beautiful  red  pipe  stone,  which  has  so  long  been  known  to  be 
used  by  them  for  that  purpose.  This  mineral  is  fissile,  and  mode- 
rately hard,  which  renders  it  fit  for  their  peculiar  ripe  sculptures. 
I  found  small  masses  of  native  copper  in  the  drift  stratum  at  the 
mouth  of  this  stream,  on  the  top  of  the  cliffs  on  the  Mississippi, 
opposite  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Peter's. 

Crystalline  Sand  Rock. — This  stratum  reveals  the  same 
crystalline  structure  which  is  so  remarkable  in  the  sandstone 
caves,  near  the  Potosi  road,  in  the  county  of  St.  Genevieve, 
Missouri ;  and  the  sand  obtained  from  it,  like  that  mineral,  would 
probably  fuse,  with  alkali,  in  a  moderate  heat,  and  constitute  an 
excellent  material  for  the  manufacture  of  glass.  It  is  also,  like 
the  Missouri  sandstone,  cavernous.  In  both  situations,  these 
caves  appear  to  be  due  to  water  escaping  through  fissures  of  the 
rock,  where  its  cohesion  is  feeble,  carr3nug  it  away  grain  by  grain. 

*  Thirty  years  bas  made  it  the  centre  of  the  new  territory  of  Minnesota,  which 
has  now  entered  on  the  career  of  nations. 

J  This  object  was  accomplished  by  an  expedition  by  Major  L.  Long,  in  1823. 


832  APPENDIX. 

In  stopping  at  one  of  these  caves,  about  twelve  miles  below  St. 
Peter's,  we  found  this  cause  of  structure  verified  by  a  lively  spring 
and  pond  of  limpid  water  flowing  out  of  it. 

Valley  of  the  St.  Croix. — This  river  originates  in  an  ele- 
vated range  of  the  elder  sand  and  pebble  drift,  which  lies  on  the 
summit  between  the  Mississippi  system  of  formations,  and  the 
Lake  Superior  basin.  It  communicates  with  the  Bruld,  which  is 
"Goddard's  Eiver"  of  Carver,  and  with  the  Mauvaise  or  Bad 
Eiver  of  that  basin.  Specimens  of  native  copper  have  been  found 
on  Snake  River,  one  of  its  tributaries.* 

Geological  Monumexts. — In  descending  the  river  for  the 
distance  of  about  one  hundred  miles  below  St.  Anthony's  Falls, 
my  attention  was  arrested,  on  visiting  the  high  grounds,  by  a 
species  of  natural  monuments,  which  appear  as  if  made  by  human 
hands  seen  at  a  distance,  but  appear  to  be  the  results  of  the 
degradation  and  wasting  away,  on  the  Huttonian  theory,  of  all 
but  these,  probably  harder,  portions  of  the  strata. 

Lake  Pepin. — This  sheet  commends  itself  to  notice  by  its 
extent  and  picturesque  features.  It  is  an  expansion  of  the  river, 
about  twenty-four  miles  long,  and  two  or  three  wide.  Both  its 
borders  and  bed  reveal  the  drift  stratum,  and  the  observer  recog- 
nizes here,  boulders  of  the  peculiar  stratification  which  has,  in 
ancient  periods,  characterized  the  high  plateaux  about  the  sources 
of  the  river.  Such  are  its  hornblendic,  sienite,  quartz,  trap,  and 
amygdaloid  pebbles,  and  that  variety  of  the  quartz  family  which 
assumes  the  form  of  the  agate  and  other  kindred  species.  Moved 
as  these  materials  are  annually,  lower  and  lower,  by  the  impetus 
of  the  stream,  other  supplies,  it  may  be  inferred,  are  still  furnished 
by  the  shifting  sand  and  gravel  bars  from  above.  The  mass  must 
submit  to  considerable  abrasion  by  this  change,  and  the  diminished 
size  of  the  drifted  masses  become  a  sort  of  measure  of  the  dis- 
tance at  which  they  are  found  from  their  parent  beds. 

Chippewa  River. — This  stream  is  the  first  to  bring  in  a  vast 
mass  of  moving  sand.  Its  volume  of  water  is  large,  which  it 
gathers  from  the  high  diluvial  plains  that  spread  southwest  of 
the  Porcupine  Mountains,  and  about  the  sources  of  the  Wis- 

*  This  river  was  explored  by  me  in  1831  and  1832,  in  two  separate  expeditions 
in  the  public  service,  accounts  of  which  have  been  published  iu  1831  and  1832,  of 
•which  abstracts  are  given  in  the  preceding  pages. 


APPENDIX.  333 

consin,  the  Montreal,  and  the  St.  Croix  Rivers,  with  which  it 
originates. 

Trompeldo  {Le  Montaine  des  Tromps  cVEaux). — This  ishand 
mountain  stands  as  if  to  dispute  the  passage  of  the  Mississippi, 
whose  channel  it  divides  into  two  portions.  Distinct  from  its 
height,  which  appears  to  correspond  with  the  contiguous  cliffs, 
and  in  the  large  amount  of  fresh  debris  at  its  base,  it  presents 
nothing  peculiar  in  its  geology. 

Painted  Rock. — This  vicinity  is  chiefly  noted  for  its  large  and 
fine  specimens  of  fresh- water  shells. 

Wisconsin. — Like  the  Chippewa,  this  stream  brings  down  in 
its  floods,  vast  quantities  of  loose  sand,  which  tend  to  the  forma- 
tion of  bars  and  temporary  islands.  It  originates  in  the  same 
elevated  plains,  and  bespeaks  a  considerable  area  at  its  sources, 
which  must  be  arid.  It  is  a  region,  however,  in  which  lakes  and 
rice  lands  abound,  and  it  may,  in  this  respect,  be  geologically  of 
the  same  formation  as  the  higher  plateaux  of  the  Mississippi, 
above  the  Sandy  Lake  summit.  Its  sides  produce  many  species 
to  enrich  our  fresh-water  Conchology. 

Lead  Mines  of  Peosta  and  Dubuque. — In  my  researches 
into  the  mineral  geography  of  Missouri,  in  1818  and  1819,  I  had 
explored  a  district  of  country  between  the  rivers  Merrimak  and 
St.  Francis,  and  on  the  Ozarks,  which  revealed  many  traits  which 
it  has  in  common  with  the  Upper  Mississippi.  There,  as  here, 
the  mineral  deposits  appear  to  be,  in  many  cases,  in  a  red 
marly  clay,  whether  the  clay  is  overlaid  by  the  calcareous  rock 
or  not.  There,  as  here,  also,  the  limestone  and  sandstone  strata 
are  perfectly  horizontal.  The  leads  of  ore  appear,  in  this  section, 
to  be  followed  with  more  certainty,  agreeable  to  the  points  of  the 
compass ;  but  this  may  happen,  to  some  extent,  because  the  prac- 
tice of  mining  on  individual  account,  with  windlass  and  buckets, 
in  the  Missouri  district,  has  led  common  observers  to  be  more 
indifferent  to  exact  scientific  methods.  To  say  that  the  digging, 
at  these  mines,  is  equally,  or  more  productive,  is  perhaps  just. 
Capital  and  labor  have  been  rewarded  in  both  sections  of  the 
country,  in  proportion  as  they  have  been  perseveringly  and 
judiciously  expended. 

I  found  much  of  the  ore,  which  is  a  sulphuret,  at  Dubuque's 
Mines,  lying  in  east  and  west  leads.     These  leads  were  generally 


33-i  APPENDIX. 

pursued  in  caves,  or,  more  properly,  fissures  in  the  rock.  In  one 
of  the  excavations  which  I  visited,  the  digging  was  continued 
horizontally  under  the  first  stratum  of  rock,  after  an  excavation 
had  been  made  perpendicularly,  through  the  top  soil  and  calca- 
reous rock,  perhaps  thirty  feet.  The  ore  is  a  broad-grained  cu- 
bical galena,  easily  reduced,  and  bids  fair  very  greatly  to  enhance 
the  value  and  resources  of  this  section  of  the  West. 

Similar  mines  exist  at  Mississinawa,  and  the  Eiver  Au  Feve,* 
both  on  the  eastern  or  left  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  And  a  sys- 
tem of  leasing  or  management,  such  as  I  have  suggested  for  the 
Missouri  mines,  appears  equally  desirable. 

Quartz  Geodes. — The  amount  of  silex  in  the  cliff  limestone  is 
such,  in  some  conditions  of  it,  as  to  justify  the  term  silico-calca- 
reous.  This  condition  of  the  rock  at  the  passage  of  the  Missis- 
sippi through  the  Eock  River  and  Des  Moines  Rapids,  is  such  as 
to  produce  a  very  striking  locality  of  highly  crystalline  quartz 
geodes,  which  accumulates  in  the  bed  of  the  stream.  Many  of 
these  geodes  are  from  a  foot  to  twenty-two  inches  in  diameter, 
and  on  breaking  them  they  exhibit  resplendent  crystals  of  limpid 
quartz.  Sometimes  these  are  amethystine;  in  other  cases  they 
present  surfaces  of  chalcedony  or  cacholong.  The  latter  minerals, 
if  obtained  from  the  rock,  and  before  unduly  hardening  by  ex- 
posure, would  probably  furnish  a  suitable  basis  for  lapidaries. 

Intermediate  Country  in  the  Direction  to  Green  Bat. — 
There  is  a  line  which  separates,  on  the  north,  the  granitical  and 
trap  region  from  the  metal-bearing  limestone,  and  its  supporting 
sandstone.  This  formation  of  the  elder  series  of  rocks,  having 
been  traced  to  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Superior,  and  having 
been  seen  to  constitute  the  supporting  bed  of  the  alluviums  and 
diluviums  of  the  Upper  Mississippi,  above  the  Peace  Rock,  it 
may  subserve  the  purpose  of  inquiry  to  trace  this  line  of  junction 
by  its  probable  and  observed  boundaries. 

The  line  may  be  commenced  where  it  crosses  the  Mississippi, 
at  the  Peace  Rock,  and  extended  to  the  St.  Croix,  the  falls  of 
which  are  on  the  trap-rock,  to  the  sources  of  the  Chippewa  at 
Lac  du  Flambeau,  and  the  Wisconsin  near  Plover  Portage.  The 
source  of  Fox  River  runs  amid  uprising  masses  of  sienite,  and 
this  formation  appears  to  pass  thence  northeasterly,  across  the 

*  Galena  has  subsequently  been  made  the  capital  of  these  mines. 


APPENDIX,  335 

Upper  Menominee,  to  the  district  of  the  Totosli  and  Cradle- 
Top  Mountains,  west  of  Chocolate  Eivcr,  on  the  shores  of  Lake 
Superior. 

I  observed  the  crystalline  sandstone  and  its  overlying  cliff 
limestone,  along  the  valley  of  the  Wisconsin,  where  ancient  exca- 
vations for  lead  ore  have  been  made.  There  is  an  entire  preserva- 
tion of  its  characters,  and  no  reason  occurs  why  its  mineralogical 
contents  should  not  prove,  in  some  positions,  as  valuable  as  they 
have  been  found  in  Missouri,  or  in  the  Dubuque  district  west  of 
the  Mississippi. 

On  reaching  the  "Wisconsin  Portage,  the  limestone  is  found  to 
have  been  swept  by  diluvial  action,  from  its  supporting  sand  rock. 
Such  is  its  position  not  far  north  of  the  highest  of  the  four  lakes, 
and  again  at  Lake  Puck  way,  in  descending  the  Fox  Eiver ; 
consequently,  there  are  no  lead  discoveries  in  this  region.  On 
coming  to  the  calcareous  rock,  which  is  developed  along  the  chan- 
nel of  the  river,  below  Winnebago  Lake,  it  appears  rather  to 
belong  to  the  lake  system  of  deposits.  Its  superior  stratum 
lies  in  patches,  or  limited  districts,  which  appear  to  have  been 
left  by  drift  action.  Petrefactions  are  found  in  these  districts, 
and  the  character  of  the  rock  is  dark,  compact,  or  shelly.  The 
lower  series  of  deposits,  such  as  they  appear  at  the  Kakala 
Eapids,  at  Washington  Harbor,  in  the  entrance  to  Green  Bay, 
and  in  the  cliffs  north  of  Sturgeon  Bay  and  Portage,  are  mani- 
festly of  the  same  age  and  general  character  as  the  inferior  stratum 
of  Michilimackinac  and  the  Manatouline  chain. 

Basin  of  Lake  Michigan. — This  basin,  stretching  from  the 
north  to  the  south  nearly  four  hundred  miles,  lies  deeply  in  the 
series  of  formation  of  limestones,  sandstone,  and  schists,  to  which 
we  apply  the  term  of  the  Michilimackinac  S3^stem.  Its  north  and 
west  shores  are  skirted  from  Green  Bay  to  a  point  north  of  the 
Sheboygan,  with  the  calcareous  stratum.  At  this  point,  the 
ancient  drift,  the  lacustrine  clay  of  Milwaukie  and  the  prairie  di- 
luvium of  Chicago,  constitute  a  succession,  of  which  the  surface 
is  a  slightly  waving  line  of  the  most  fertile  soils. 

Among  the  pebbles  cast  ashore  at  the  southern  head  of  this  lake 
1  observed  slaty  coal.  It  seems,  indeed,  the  only  one  of  the  lakes 
which  reaches  south  into  the  coal  basin  of  Illinois.  If  the  level 
at  which  coal  is  found  on  the  Illinois  were  followed  through,  it 


836  APPENDIX. 

would  issue  in  the  basin  of  the  lake  below  low-water  mark. 
Digging  for  this  mineral  on  the  Chicago  summit,  promises  indeed 
not  to  be  unsupported  by  sound  hypothesis. 

After  passing  Chicago,  of  which  a  sketch  is  added,  the  sands 
which  begin  to  accumulate  at  the  Konamik,  the  River  du  Chemin, 
and  the  St.  Joseph's  River,*  appear  in  still  more  prominent 
ridges,  skirting  the  eastern  coasts  to  and  beyond  Grand  River. 
These  sands,  which  are  the  accumulations  of  winds,  are  cast  on 
the  arable  land,  much  in  the  manner  that  has  been  noticed  at  the 
Grand  Sable  on  Lake  Superior,  and  reach  the  character  of  strik- 
ing dunes  at  the  coast  denominated  the  Sleeping  Bear.  The 
winds  which  periodically  set  from  the  western  shore,  produce 
continual  abrasions  of  its  softer  materials,  and  are  the  sole  cause 
of  these  intrusive  sand-hills.  Pent  up  behind  them,  the  water  is 
a  cause  of  malaria  to  local  districts  of  country,  and  many  of  the 
small  rivers  upon  this  side  are  periodically  choked  with  sand.  The 
sketch  transmitted  of  this  bleak  dune-coast  (omitted  here),  as  it  is 
seen  at  the  mouth  of  Maskigon  Lake,  will  convey  a  false  idea  of 
the  value  of  this  coast,  even  half  a  mile  from  the  spot  where  the 
surf  beats.  It  is  designed  to  show  the  air  of  aridity  which  the 
mere  coast  line  presents.  The  stratification  regains  its  ordinary 
level  and  appearance  before  reaching  the  Plate  or  Omicomico 
River,  and  the  peninsula  of  the  Grand  Traverse  Bay,  and  the 
settlements  of  the  Ottawa  Indians  on  Little  Traverse  Bay,  afford 
tracts  of  fertile  lands.  Point  Wagonshonce  consists  of  a  stratum 
of  limestone  of  little  elevation,  which  constitutes  the  southeast 
cape  of  the  strait.  Here  a  lighthouse  is  needed  to  direct  the 
mariner. 

Lake  Huron. — Notices  of  this  sheet  of  water  have  been  given 
in  our  outward  voyage.  It  appears  rather  as  the  junction  of 
separate  lakes  which  have  had  their  basins  fretted  into  one  another, 
than  as  one  original  lake.  Michigan  is  connected  with  it  through 
the  Straits  of  Michilimackinac.  The  Georgian  Bay,  north  of  the 
Manatouline  chain,  seems  quite  distinct.  The  Saganaw  Bay  is  an 
element  of  another  kind.  The  Manitouline  chain  separates  the 
calcareous  and  granitic  region,  and  its  numerous  trap  and  basaltic 
islands  towards  the  north  shore,  of  which  there  are  many  thou- 

*  The  subjoined  petrifaction  of  a  leaf,  apparently  a  species  of  betula,  was  ob- 
tained on  this  river.     See  ante,  p.  206. 


APPENDIX.  337 

sands,  denote  that  it  has  been  the  scene  of  geological  disturbance 
of  an  extraordinary  kind. 

Ulterior  Conclusions. — In  taking  these  several  views  of  the 
geological  structure  of  the  Northwest — of  the  Lake  Superior 
basin,  and  of  the  valleys  of  the  St.  Louis  Kiver — the  region  about 
the  Upper  Mississippi,  its  striking  change  at  the  Falls  of  St.  An- 
thony— and  the  valleys  of  the  Wisconsin  and  Fox  Rivers,  and 
the  basins  of  Lakes  Michigan  and  Huron,  I  am  aware  of  the 
temerity  of  ray  task.  Allowance  must,  however,  be  made  for  the 
rapidity  of  my  transit  over  regions  where  the  question  was  often 
the  safety  and  personal  subsistence  of  the  party.  A  very  large 
and  diversified  area  was  passed  over  in  a  short  time.  At  no 
place  was  it  possible  to  make  elaborate  observations.  A  thou- 
sand inconveniences  were  felt,  but  they  were  felt  as  the  pressure 
of  so  many  small  causes  impeding  the  execution  of  a  great  enter- 
prise. A  sketch  has  been  made,  which,  it  is  hoped,  will  reveal 
something  of  the  phj^sical  history  and  lineaments  of  the  country. 
These  glimpses  at  wild  scenes,  heretofore  hid  from  the  curious 
eye  of  man,  have  been  made,  at  all  points,  with  the  utmost 
avidity.  I  have  courted  every  opportunity  to  accumulate  facts, 
and  I  owe  much  to  the  distinguished  civilian  who  has  led  the 
party  so  successfully  through  scenes  of  toil  and  danger,  not  always 
unexpected,  but  alwaj'-s  met  in  a  calm,  bold,  and  proper  spirit, 
which  has  served  to  inspire  confidence  in  all ;  to  him,  and  to 
each  one  of  my  associates,  I  owe  much  on  the  score  of  comity 
and  personal  amenity  and  forbearance;  and  I  have  been  made  to 
feel,  in  the  remotest  solitudes,  how  easy  it  is  to  execute  a  duty 
when  all  conspire  to  facilitate  it. 

The  views  herein  expressed  are  generalized  in  two  geological 
maps  (hereto  prefixed),  which,  it  is  believed,  will  help  to  fix  the 
facts  in  the  mind.  They  exhibit  the  facts  noticed,  in  connection 
with  the  theory  established  by  them,  and  by  all  my  observations, 
of  the  construction  of  this  part  of  the  continent. 

The  mineralogy  of  the  regions  visited  is  condensed  in  the  fol- 
lowing summary,  drawn  from  my  notes,  which,  it  is  believed, 
constitutes  an  appropriate  conclusion  to  this  report. 

With  the  exception  of  one  species,  namely,  the  ores  of  copper, 
the  region  has  not  proved  as  attractive  in  this  department  as  I 
22 


838 


APPENDIX. 


found  the  metalliferous  surface  of  Missouri.  There  are  but  few 
traces  of  mining,  and  those  of  an  exceedingly  ancient  character, 
in  the  copper  region  of  Lake  Superior.  The  excavations  in  search 
of  lead  ore  on  the  Upper  Mississippi  do  not  date  back  many  years, 
but  the  indications  are  such  as  to  show  that  few  countries,  even 
Missouri,  exceed  them  in  promises  of  mineral  wealth. 

I  have  emplo3"ed  the  lapse  of  time  between  the  termination  of 
the  exploration  and  the  present  moment,  to  extend  my  mineralo- 
gical  observations  to  some  parts  of  the  Mississippi  Yalley  which 
were  not  included  in  the  line  of  the  expedition,  but  which  were 
visited  in  the  following  year,  in  the  service  of  the  Government, 
namely,  the  Miami  of  the  Lakes,  and  Wabash  Valleys,  the  Cave 
in  Kock  Eegion  in  Lower  Illinois,  and  the  Valley  of  the  Kiver 
Illinois.     The  whole  is  concentrated  in  the  following  notices : — 

Tabular  Vleio  of  Minerals  observed  in  the  Northicest. 


Genera. 


r 


Metallic 
minerals 


Copper 

Lead 
Zinc 


Iron 


,  SilTcr, 


I.    OEES. 

Species.  Subspecies.  Varieties, 

{Native  copper. 
Green  carbonate  of  copper      ,     .     .     .  -j  r'„n,„„gl 

.     Sulpburet  of  lead Common. 

.     Sulphuret  of  zinc Blende. 

f  ( Common. 

I  I  Radiated. 

Sulphuret  of  iron -]  Spheroidal. 

I  1  Cellular. 

I  [  Hepatic. 

.  -]  Magnetic  oxide  of  iron Iron  sand. 

I  Specular  oxide  of  iron.     Micaceous, 

iOchrey. 
Scaly. 
Compact. 
[  Brown  oxide  of  iron Ochrey. 


APPENDIX. 


339 


Genus. 


Quartz 


Silicious  slate 
Petrosilex. 
Mica    .     .     . 


Schorl       . 

Feldspar  . 
Prehnite   . 

Hornblende 
Woodstone 


II.   EARTHS  AND  STONES. 
Species. 


Varieties. 


Common  quartz 


Amethyst. 
Ferruginous  quartz 
Prase. 


Chalcedony 

Hornstone. 
Jasper .     . 


Heliotrope. 
Opal     .     . 


f  Milky. 

I  Radiated. 

I  Tabular. 

j  Greasy. 

I  Granular. 

I  Arenaceous. 

I  Pseudoraorphous. 

(^  Amethystine. 

f  Yellow, 
t  Red. 

^  Common. 
I  Cacholoug. 
,  -]  Carnelian. 
I  Sardonyx. 
[  Agate. 

{Common. 
Striped. 
Ked. 

.     Common. 

f  Common. 

■  \  Basanite. 

( Common. 

•  \  Gold  yellow. 

f  Common. 

■  \  Indicolite. 
.     Common. 

.     Radiated. 


<  Common. 
\  Actynolite. 


Calcareous  spar  .  . 
Granular  limestone 
Compact  limestone  . 

Agaric  mineral   . 


r  Mineralized  wood. 
\  Agatized  wood, 
r  Ci-ystallized. 
1  Lamellar. 


f  Stalactite. 


t  i 


r  Common. 
■  \  Earthy. 
]  Common. 
,     _  ■  \  Fossil  farina. 

Carbonate  of  lime  \  j  Oolite. 

Concreted  carbonate  of  j  Calcareous  sinter  {^^^^^ 

y  Calcareous  tufa. 
Pseudomorphous    carbonate    of 
lime. 

]\jarl Ludus  helmontii. 

f  Fibrous. 
I  Granular. 

Sulphate  of  Ume   .     Gypsum -,  Oranularly  foliated. 

[  Earthy. 
FluateofUme Fluorspar. 


340 


APPENDIX, 


Genus. 
Argillaceous  slate    . 

Chlorite     .     .     .     , 
Staurotide. 


Aluminous  minerals 


Clay 


L 


{Serpentine  .  .  . 
Steatite  .  .  .  . 
Asbestus  .  .  .  . 
Sulphate  of  barytes 


Barytic  minerals 
Strontian 


BisuMiNOUS  minerals 


Soda 


r 


Sulphate  of  strontian 

III.   COMBUSTIBLES 
Bitumen 


I  Graphite 
[Coal      . 


Varieties. 
J  Argillite. 
\  Bituminous  shale. 
Chlorite  slate. 

f  Potters'  clay. 
I  Pipe  clay. 

(Variegated  clay. 
Blue  sulphateci  clay. 
Green  sulphated  clay. 
Opwagunite. 
Common  serpentine. 
Steatite. 
,     Com.  asbestus. 
,     Lamellar. 
,     Foliated. 


(Petroleum. 
Maltha. 
Asphaltum. 
Granular  graphite. 
Slate  coal. 


IV.   SALTS. 

(Muriate  of  soda 
Alkaline  sulphate  of  alumina 


f  Native  salt. 
\  Salt  springs. 
Alum. 


a.  Metallic  Minerals. 


1.  Copper. 


This  metal  is  frequently  found,  in  detached  masses,  in  the  dilu- 
vial soil  along  the  southern  shore  of  Lake  Superior,  and  in  the 
high  and  barren  tract  included  between  Lakes  Huron,  Michigan, 
and  Superior,  and  the  Mississippi  Kiver,  as  general  boundaries. 
Thus,  it  has  been  found  upon  the  sources  of  the  Menomonie, 
Wisconsin,  Chippewa,  St.  Croix,  and  Ontonagon  Eivers,  but 
most  constantly,  and  in  the  greatest  quantity,  upon  the  latter. 
There  are  many  localities  known  only  to  the  aborigines,  who 
appear  to  set  some  value  upon  it,  and  have  been  in  the  habit  of 
employing  the  most  malleable  pieces  in  several  ways  from  the 
earliest  times.  It  occurs  mostly  in  detached  masses,  resting  upon, 
or  imbedded  in,  diluvial  soil.  These  masses,  which  vary  in  size, 
are  sometimes  connected  with  isolated  fragments  of  rock.  Such 
is  the  geognostic  position  of  the  great  mass  of  native  copper  upon 
the  banks  of  the  Ontonagon,  which  has  been  variously  estimated 


APPENDIX.  341 

to  weigh  from  two  to  five  tons.  This  extraordinary  mass  is 
situated  at  the  base  of  a  diluvial  precipice  composed  of  reddish 
loam  and  mixed  boulders  and  pebbles  of  granite,  greenstone, 
quartz,  and  sandstone  and  diallage  rocks.  The  nearest  strata,  in 
situ,  are  red  sandstone,  grauwacke,  and  greenstone  trap.  A  com- 
pany of  miners  was  formerly  employed  in  searching  for  copper 
mines  upon  the  banks  of  this  river.  They  dug  down  about  forty 
feet  into  the  diluvial  soil,  at  a  spot  where  a  green-colored  water 
issued  from  the  hill.  In  sinking  this  pit,  several  masses  of  native 
copper  were  found,  and  they  discovered,  as  their  report  indicates, 
the  same  metal  "imbedded  in  stone."  But  the  enterprise  was 
abandoned,  in  consequence  of  the  falling  in  of  the  pit. 

At  Keweena  Point,  on  Lake  Superior,  I  found  native  copper 
along  the  shore  of  the  lake,  constituting  small  masses  in  pebbles, 
and,  in  one  instance,  in  a  mass  of  several  pounds'  weight,  which 
was  found  in  the  Ontonagon  Valley.  I  also  observed  the  green 
carbonate  of  copper,  in  several  places,  in  the  detritus.  The  strata 
of  this  point  appear  to  be  charged  with  this  mineral,  particularly 
in  its  native  forms.  Hardly  a  mass  of  the  loose  rock  is  without 
some  trace  of  the  metal,  or  its  oxides  or  salts.  It  would  be  diffi- 
cult, on  any  known  principles,  to  resist  the  testimony  which  is 
offered,  by  every  observer,  to  favor  the  idea  that  extensive  and 
very  valuable  mines  exist.  The  whole  lake  shore,  from  this 
peninsula  to  the  Montreal  Kiver,  is  replete  with  these  evidences. 

There  are  indications  that  this  mineral  pervades  the  rocks  and 
soils,  in  a  radius  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  or  more,  south 
and  west  of  this  central  point.  It  has  been  discovered  at  the 
sources  of  the  Menominee,  Chippewa,  Montreal,  and  St.  Croix, 
and  even  at  more  distant  points. 

At  St.  Peter's,  in  digging  down  for  the  purpose  of  quarrying 
the  rock,  about  eighteen  inches  depth  of  dark  alluvium  was 
passed;  then  a  deposit  of  diluvial  soil,  with  large  fragments  of 
limestone,  greenstone,  quartz  rock,  &c.,  about  six  feet;  and,  lastly, 
one  foot  of  small  pebbles,  &c.,  constituting  the  copper  diluvium. 
No  large  mass  was  found ;  nor  any  veins  in  the  rock. 


S42  APPENDIX. 


2.  Lead. 


The  only  ore  of  lead  known  to  exist  within  the  limits  to  which 
these  remarks  are  confined,  is  the  sulphuret.  In  the  year  1780, 
Peosta,  a  woman  of  the  Misquakee,  or  Fox  tribe  of  Indians,  dis- 
covered a  lead  mine  upon  the  west  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  at 
the  computed  distance  of  twenty -five  leagues  below  Prairie  du 
Ghien,  which  the  Indians,  in  1788,  gave  Julian  Dubuque  a  right 
to  work.  This  permission  was  partially  confirmed  by  the  Baron 
ue  Carondelet,  Governor  of  Louisiana,  in  1796.  No  patent  was, 
however,  issued ;  but  Dubuque  continued  to  prosecute  the  mining 
business  to  the  period  of  his  death,  which  happened  in  1810,  when 
the  mines  were  again  claimed  by  the  original  proprietors. 

The  ore  is  the  common  sulphuret  of  lead,  or  galena,  which  Du- 
""buque  stated  to  have  yielded  him  seventy -five  per  cent,  in  smelt- 
ing in  the  large  way.  He  usually  made  from  20,000  to  40,000 
pounds  per  annum. 

I  made  a  cursory  visit  to  these  mines,  and  found  them  worked 
by  the  Fox  Indians,  but  in  a  very  imperfect  manner.  They  cover 
a  considerable  area,  commencing  at  the  mouth  of  the  Makokketa 
Iliver,  sixty  miles  below  Prairie  du  Chien.  Traces  of  the  ore  are 
found,  also,  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi  at  several  points. 
It  occurs  disseminated  in  a  reddish  loam,  resting  upon  limestone 
rock,  and  is  sometimes  seen  in  small  veins  pervading  the  rock; 
but  it  has  been  chiefly  explored  in  diluvial  soil.  It  generally 
occurs  in  beds  having  little  width,  and  runs  in  a  direct  course 
towards  the  cardinal  points.  They  are  sometimes  traced  into  a 
crevice  of  the  rock.  At  this  stage  of  the  pursuit,  most  of  the 
diggings  have  been  abandoned.  Little  spar  or  crystalline  matrix 
is  found  in  connection  with  the  ore.  It  is  generally  enveloped 
by  a  reddish,  compact  earth,  or  marly  clay.  Occasionally,  masses 
of  calcareous  spar  occur;  less  frequently,  sulphate  of  barytes,  green 
iTon  earth,  and  ochrey  brown  oxide  of  iron.  I  did  not  observe 
any  masses  of  radiated  quartz,  which  form  so  conspicuous  a  trait 
in  the  surface  of  the  metalliferous  diluvion  of  the  mining  district 
of  Missouri. 

Sufficient  attention  does  not  appear  to  have  been  bestowed,  by 
mineralogists,  upon  the  metalliferous  soil  of  the  Mississippi  Valley. 
It  is  certainly  very  remarkable  that  such  vast  deposits  of  lead  ore, 


APPENDIX.  343 

accompauied  by  veins  of  sulphate  of  barytes,  calc  spar,  and  other 
crystallized  bodies,  should  be  found  in  alluvial  beds ;  and  it  would 
be  very  interesting  to  ascertain  whether  any  analogous  formations 
exist  in  Europe,  or  in  any  other  part  of  the  earth's  surface.  It 
is  one  of  the  most  striking  features  of  this  deposit,  that  the  ore, 
spars,  &c.,  do  not  appear  as  the  debris  of  older  formations,  and 
have  no  marks  of  having  been  worn  or  abraded,  like  those  ex- 
traneous masses  of  rock  which  are  very  common  in  the  alluvial 
soil  of  our  continent.  The  lead  ore  and  accompanying  minerals 
appear  to  have  been  crystallized  in  the  situations  where  they  are 
now  found.  We  should,  perhaps,  except  from  this  remark  the 
species  of  lead  called  gravel  ore  by  the  miners,  which  is  in  rounded 
lumps,  and  is  never  accompanied  by  spars. 

Sulphuret  of  lead  is  also  found  near  the  spot  where  the  small 
Eiver  Sissinaway  enters  the  Mississippi,  and  two  leagues  south  of 
it,  upon  the  banks  of  the  River  Aux  Fevre,  at  both  of  which 
places  considerable  quantities  have  been  raised,  and  continue  to 
be  raised,  for  the  purposes  of  smelting,  by  the  Fox  and  Sac  tribes 
of  Indians.  At  these  places,  it  is  most  frequently  connected  with 
a  gangue  of  heavy  spar  and  calcareous  spar,  with  pyrites  of  iron. 
I  procured  from  a  trader,  at  Dubuque,  several  masses  of  galena 
crystallized  in  cubes  and  octahedrons. 

In  descending  the  Upper  Mississippi,  a  specimen  of  galena  was 
exhibited  to  me,  by  a  Sioux  Indian,  at  the  village  of  the  Red 
Wing,  six  miles  above  Lake  Pepin,  said  to  have  been  procured 
in  that  vicinity.  Galena  is  also  rqoorted  to  have  been  discovered 
in  several  places  on  the  south  side  of  the  Wisconsin  River,  and 
these  localities  may  be  entitled  to  future  notice,  as  furnishing  im- 
portant hints. 

3.  Zinc. 

The  sulphuret  of  zinc  (l)lack  blende)  is  found  disseminated  in 
limestone  rock  along  the  banks  of  Fox  River,  between  the  post 
of  Green  Bay  and  Winnebago  Lake.  Although  frequently  seen 
in  small  masses,  no  body  of  it  is  known  to  exist.  I  also  found 
blende,  in  small,  orbicular  masses  of  calcareous  marl,  along  the 
east  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  between  the  Rivers  St.  Joseph  and 
Kikalemazo. 


3-i-i  APPENDIX. 


4.  Iron. 

This  mineral  is  distributed,  in  several  of  its  forms,  throughout 
the  region  visited,  although  but  little  attention  has  yet  been 
directed  to  its  exploration.  In  the  basin  of  Lake  Superior  it 
exists,  in  valuable  masses,  in  the  form  of  a  magnetic  oxide,  on  the 
coasts  of  the  lake  between  Gitchi  Sebing  (Great  River),  called  by 
the  French  Chocolate  River,  and  Granite  Point,  Specimens  from 
Dead  River  (Riviere  du  Morts)  and  Carp  River,  the  Namabin  of 
the  Indians,  in  this  district,  denote  the  latter  to  be  the  chief  lo- 
cality.    It  is  the  iron  glance,  and  occurs  in  mountain  masses. 

Sulphuret  of  Iron. — This  variety  is  found,  in  limited  quantities, 
in  a  state  of  crystallization,  in  clay  beds,  on  the  west  shore  of 
Lake  Michigan,  between  Milwankie  and  Chicago.  It  is  frequently 
in  the  form  of  a  cube  or  an  octahedron.  Some  of  the  crystals  are 
in  lumps  of  several  pounds'  weight,  with  a  metallic  lustre.  Often 
the  masses,  on  being  broken,  are  found  radiated,  sometimes  cellu- 
lar, and  occasionally  irised. 

Iron  Sand. — The  breaking-up  and  prostration  of  the  sandstone 
and  other  sedimentary  formations,  along  the  shores  of  lakes  Michi- 
gan, Huron,  and  Superior,  liberates  this  ore  in  considerable  quan- 
tities. It  arranges  itself,  on  the  principle  of  its  specific  gravities, 
in  separate  strata  along  the  sandy  shores,  where  it  invariably 
occupies  the  lowest  position  at  and  below  the  water's  edge.  The 
shores  of  Fond  du  Lac,  on  Lake  Superior,  may  be  particularly 
mentioned  as  an  abundant  locality. 

Micaceous  Oxide  of  Iron. — In  detached  mass,  among  the  debris 
of  the  River  St.  Louis  and  of  Fond  du  Lac.  It  exists  in  veins 
in  the  clay  slate  which  characterizes  the  banks  of  this  river. 

Ochrey  Red  Oxide  of  Iron  (Red  ochre) — Is  produced  near  a  spot 
called  the  Big  Stone,  on  the  head  of  the  River  St.  Peter's.  It  is 
said  to  occur  in  a  loose  form,  in  a  stratum  of  several  inches  thick, 
lying  below  the  soil  of  a  level  dry  prairie  or  plain.  The  Sioux 
Indians,  who  employ  it  as  a  paint,  make  this  statement.  The 
color  of  a  portion  given  to  me  by  them  is  of  a  bright  red;  and  a 
considerable  proportion  of  the  mass  is  in  a  state  of  minute  divi- 
sion. Particles  of  quartz  are  occasionally  mixed  with  it.  This 
ore  of  iron  is  also  represented  to  be  found  in  the  prairies  north  of 


APPENDIX.  345 

Gros  Point,  along  the  west  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  between  Mil- 
waukie  and  Chicago, 

Ochrey  red  oxide  of  iron  occurs  on  the  shores  of  Big  Stone 
Lake,  at  the  source  of  the  St.  Peter's  Eiver.  A  large  spring  rises 
from  a  level,  dry  plain,  a  few  feet  beyond  which  the  mineral 
occurs.  The  Indians,  who  employ  it  as  a  pigment,  take  it  up 
with  their  knives.  The  stratum  is  about  eight  inches  thick,  but 
just  below  the  surface  it  is  mixed  with  common  earth.  The  spring 
of  water  is  pure  and  unadulterated. 

5.  Silver. 

The  belief  in  the  existence  of  silver  ore  in  the  region  of  the 
lakes,  and  particularly  on  Lake  Superior,  seems  to  have  early 
prevailed.  So  much  confidence  was  placed  in  the  reports  of  its 
existence,  that  Henry  tells  when  a  company  was  formed  in  Eng- 
land for  exploring  the  copper  mines  of  Lake  Superior  (a.  d.  1771), 
they  were  impelled  to  the  search  more  from  an  expectation  of  the 
silver,  which  it  was  hoped  would  be  found  in  connection  with  it, 
than  from  the  copper.* 


b.  SilicioKS  Minerals. 

1.  Quartz. 

This  interesting  species  being  distributed  in  its  numerous  va- 
rieties throughout  the  region  visited,  I  shall  confine  my  notices 
to  a  few  localities. 

Subs.  1. — Common  Quartz. 

Occurs  in  the  form  of  large  water- worn  masses  along  the  shores 
of  Lakes  Huron,  Michigan,  and  Superior.  Also,  in  veins  in  the 
granite  of  Lake  Superior,  and  in  the  argillite  of  St.  Louis  River. 
These  localities  all  consist  of  the  opaque  varieties,  with  a  slight 

*  This  metal  has  subsequently  (namely,  in  1844)  been  found  to  constitute  a  per- 
centage in  the  native  copper  of  the  Eagle  River  mines  of  Lake  Superior.  Traces  of 
it  were  found  in  a  mass  of  native  copper  found  on  the  shores  of  Keweena  Lake,  by 
Mr.  Moliday,  in  1826.  A  mass  of  pure  silver  was  discovered  in  a  boulder  in  the 
drift  of  Lake  Huron,  west  of  White  Rock,  in  1824.  These  discoveries  induce  the 
belief  that  this  element  will  be  found  to  be  extensively  present  in  the  eventual 
metallurgic  operations  of  the  Lake  Superior  basin. 


346  APPENDIX. 

degree  of  translucence  in  some  places.  It  exists  in  mass  at  Huron 
Bay,  Lake  Superior,  and  in  fragments  of  red  jasper  on  Sugar 
Island,  St.  Mary's  Eiver. 

1.  Radiated  Quartz. — In  detached  masses  on  the  Grange,  and 
also  at  the  rapids  of  the  Kiver  Desmoines,  on  the  Upper  Missis- 
sippi. At  the  Grange,  the  crystals,  which  are  usually  minute, 
sometimes  possess  a  cinnamon  color,  or  pass  into  a  variety  of 
crystallized  ferruginous  quartz. 

2.  Tabular  Quartz. — In  small,  flattened  masses  along  the  shores 
of  Lake  Pepin.     These  masses  are  transparent,  or  only  translu- 
cent.     Their  color  is  generally  white,  but   sometimes   yellow.- 
The}^  appear  to  be  closely  allied  to  chalcedony. 

3.  Greasy  Quartz. — In  detached  masses  along  the  shores  of 
Lake  Superior. 

4.  Granular  Quartz. — At  the  Falls  of  Puckaiguma,  on  the  Upper 
Mississippi,  in  large,  compact  beds  rising  through  the  soil.  Also, 
in  some  conditions  of  the  cliffs  commencing  at  the  Falls  of  St. 
Anthony,  Carrer's  Cave,  &;c. 

5.  Arenaceous  Quartz. — This  is  sometimes  the  condition  of  fine, 
even-grained,  translucent  sand  rock  of  the  preceding  localities. 
Valuable  as  an  ingredient  of  glass. 

6.  Pseudoviorplious  Quartz. — On  the  shores  of  Lake  Pepin,  oc- 
casionally. These  masses  appear  to  have  taken  their  crystalline 
imjifess  from  rhomboidal  crystals  of  carbonate  of  lime. 

7.  Amethystine  Quartz. — In  the  trap-rock  of  Lake  Superior, 

Subs.  2. — Amethyst. 

This  mineral  occurs  most  frequently  in  the  coudition  of  ame- 
thystine quartz,  in  hexahedral  prisms,  lining  the  interior  of  geodes, 
in  the  bed  of  the  Eiver  Desmoines,  and  on  the  Eock  Eapids,  in 
the  channel  of  the  Mississippi.  The  crystals  which  I  have  ex- 
amined are  generally  limpid,  with  a  high  lustre,  and  of  a  pale 
violet  color.  Sometimes  the  tinge  of  color  approaches  to  a  full 
red,  or  is  only  apparent  in  the  summit  of  the  crystal.  These 
geodes  are  sometimes  eight  or  ten  inches  in  diameter,  with  a 
rough  and  dark-colored  exterior,  often  so  nearly  spherical  as  to 
resemble  cannon  halls.  Some  of  the  finest  specimens  I  have  ob- 
served from  this  locality  are  preserved  in  the  museum  of  Gov. 
Clarke,  at  St,  Louis,  Missouri. 


APPENDIX.  847 

Subs.  3. — Ferruginous  Quartz. 

In  amorphous  masses,  of  a  deep-red,  brown,  or  yellowish-red 
color,  along  the  southern  shore  of  Lake  Superior.  Likewise, 
crystallized,  in  very  minute  hexagonal  prisms,  terminated  by  six- 
sided  pyramids,  of  a  reddish  color,  on  the  summit  and  declivities 
of  the  Grangje  de  Terre. 

o 

Subs.  4. — Prase. 

In  the  drift  of  Lake  Superior,  Its  color  is  a  light  green  and 
not  fully  translucent.  It  possesses  a  hardness  and  a  lustre  inter- 
mediate between  waxy  and  resinous. 

Subs.  5.  —  Chalcedony. 

1.  Common  ChaJcedony. — In  globular  or  reniform  masses  im- 
bedded in  trap-rock,  on  the  Peninsula  of  Keweena,  Lake  Supe- 
rior. It  is  found  sometimes  in  association  with  other  quartz 
minerals.  Its  color  is  white  or  gray,  sometimes  veined  or  spotted 
with  red.  Also,  constituting  the  interior  lining  of  geodes  at  the 
rapids  of  Eock  Island  and  the  River  Desmoines.  These  geodes, 
on  breaking,  often  present  a  maramillary  surface.  In  the  form 
of  translucent  fragments,  with  a  highly  conchoidal  fracture,  among 
the  debris  of  the  shores  of  Lake  Pepin.  These  fragments  possess 
an  extremely  delicate  texture,  color,  and  lustre. 

2.  Cacholong. — Some  loose  fragments  of  this  mineral  exist  along 
the  west  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  between  Green  Bay  and  Chicago. 
These  fragments  possess  small  cavities  studded  over  with  very 
minute  and  perfect  crystals  of  quartz. 

3.  Carnelian. — This  mineral  occurs  in  fragments  in  the  debris 
of  Lake  Superior ;  also,  in  the  amygdaloid ;  also,  around  the 
shores  of  the  Upper  Mississippi.  Its  color  is  various  shades  of 
red,  or  j'ellowish  red,  sometimes  spotted  or  clouded,  fully  trans- 
lucent, and  occasionally  presenting  a  considerable  richness  and 
beauty.  Most  commonly,  the  fragments  are  too  small  to  be  ap- 
plied to  the  purposes  of  jewelry.  Sometimes  it  is  seen  in  very 
regular  spheroidal  masses,  which  contain  a  nucleus  of  radiated 
quartz.     Some  of  the  specimens  would  be  considered  as  sardonyx. 

4.  Agate. — Is  found  with  the  preceding.  It  is  more  frequently 
found  in  larger  masses,  in  the  rock,  which  are  sometimes  spher- 


848  APPENDIX. 

oidal,  reniform,  or  globular.  These  agates  are  chiefly  arranged 
in  concentric  layers,  which  are  white,  red,  yellow,  &c.,  according 
to  the  colors  of  the  different  varieties  of  chalcedonies,  carnelians, 
ifcc,  of  which  they  are  composed.  A  close  inspection  would  also 
separate  them  into  several  varieties — as  onyx,  agate,  dotted  agate, 
&c. 

Subs.  6. — Uornstone. 

In  nodular  or  angular  masses,  imbedded  in  the  secondarv  lime- 
stone  of  the  west  shores  of  Green  Bay;  and  in  the  beds  of  argil- 
laceous white  clay  strata  of  Cape  Girardeau,  of  Missouri.  Also, 
on  the  hills  of  White  Eiver,  Arkansas. 

Subs.  7. — Jasper. 

1.  Common  Jasper. — In  detached  fragments,  yellow,  in  the  drift 
of  Lake  Superior. 

2.  Striped  Jasper. — "With  the  preceding.  Most  commonly,  these 
specimens  consist  of  alternate  bauds  of  red  and  black,  or  brown. 

3.  Red  Jasper. — In  quartz  rock,  Sagar  Island,  River  St.  Mary's, 
Michigan.     Masses  of  this  mineral  have  been  met  in  situ. 

Subs.  8. — Heliotrope. 

A  fine  specimen  of  this  mineral,  now  before  me,  was  procured 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  River,  Oregon.  It  is  in  the  form 
of  an  Indian  dart.  Its  color  is  a  deep  uniform  green,  variegated 
with  small  spots  of  red;  those  parts  which  are  green  being  fully 
translucent,  the  others  less  so,  or  nearly  opaque.  This  beautiful 
mineral  is  represented  to  have  been  in  common  use  by  the  Indian 
tribes  of  the  Northwest  Coast,  for  pointing  their  arrows,  previous 
to  the  introduction  of  iron  among  them.  It  differs  chiefly  from 
the  dotted  jaspers  of  Lake  Michigan,  in  its  translucence  and  green 
color. 

Subs.  9.— Opal. 

Common  opal  occurs  as  a  constituent  of  agate,  along  with 
chalcedony  rarely,  in  the  drift  on  the  south  shore  of  Lake 
Superior. 

2.  SiLicious  Slate. 

1.  Common. — In  subordinate  beds,  in  the  argillite  of  the  River 
St.  Louis,  northwest  of  Lake  Superior. 


APPENDIX.  34:9 

2.  Basanite  {Touchstone). — In  detached  fragments  in  tlie  drift  on 
Lake  Superior,  and  along  the  banks  of  the  Upper  Mississippi 
generally. 

3.  Petrosilex. 

In  large  isolated  masses  in  the  bed  of  the  Illinois  River,  on  the 
shallow  rapids  between  the  junction  of  the  Fox  and  Yermilion 
Rivers.  It  is  mostly  arranged  in  stripes  or  circles  of  white,  gray, 
yellow,  &c.,  resembling  certain  jaspers,  or  approaching  sometimes 
to  hornstone.  The  bed  of  the  Illinois  River,  at  this  place,  is  a 
species  of  gray  sandstone,  Also,  in  detached  fragments,  on  the 
south  shore  of  Lake  Superior,  intimately  mixed  with  prehnite. 
In  regard  to  the  latter,  Professor  Dewey,  of  Williamstown  Col- 
lege, writes  me:  "I  have  received  from  Dr.  Torrey,  a  curious 
mixture  of  petrosilex  and  prehnite,  in  imperfect  radiating  crys- 
tals, which  was  sent  him  by  you  and  collected  at  the  West.  He 
did  not  tell  me  the  name,  but  examination  showed  what  it  was. 
The  association  is  singularly  curious,"  The  locality  of  this  mineral 
is  Keweena  Point,  Lake  Superior, 

4.  Mica. 

Occurs  rarely  in  the  granite  of  Lake  Superior.  It  is  found  in 
place  on  the  Huron  Islands.  Also,  in  minute  folia,  in  the  alluvial 
soil  of  the  Upper  Mississippi.  A  beautiful  aggregate,  consisting 
of  plates  of  gold-yellow  mica,  connected  with  very  black  and 
shining  crystals  of  schorl,  has  been  dug  up  from  the  alluvial  soil 
of  the  Island  of  Michilimackinac, 

5.  Schorl. 

1.  Common  Schorl. — In  crystals,  in  boulders  of  granite,  at  Green 
Bay. 

2.  Tourmaline. — With  the  preceding. 

6,  Feldspar. 

As  an  ingredient  in  the  granite  of  Huron  Islands,  Lake  Supe- 
rior, Also,  in  detached  masses  of  granite  along  the  west  shores 
of  Lake  Michigan.  Also,  in  the  form  of  prismatic  crystals  of  a 
light-green  color,  in  the  rolled  masses  of  hornblende,  porphyry, 
greenstone,  and  epidotic  boulders  of  Lakes  Huron,  Michigan,  and 
Superior. 


350  APPENDIX. 


7.  Pkehnite. 


This  mineral  occurs  at  Keweena  Point,  on  Lake  Superior.  It 
is  found  in  connection  with  isolated  blocks  of  amygdaloid,  of 
primitive  greenstone,  and  of  petrosilex.  Sometimes  native  cop- 
per, and  carbonate  of  copper,  are  also  present  in  the  same  speci- 
men. In  some  instances,  a  partial  decomposition  has  taken  place, 
converting  its  green  color  into  greenish-white,  or  perfect  white, 
and  rendering  it  so  soft  as  to  be  cut  with  a  knife.  Sometimes 
the  grains  or  masses  of  native  copper  are  interspersed  among  the 
prehnite,  and  slender  threads  of  this  metal  occasionally  pass 
through  the  aggregated  mass  of  greenstone,  prehnite,  &c.,  so  that, 
on  breaking  it,  the  fragments  are  still  held  together  by  these 
metallic  fibres. 

8.  Hornblende. 

1.  Common  Hornhlende. — Occurs  as  a  constituent  of  the  horn- 
blende rocks  near  Point  Chegoimegon,  Lake  Superior.  Also,  at 
the  Peace  Eock,  on  the  Upper  Mississippi,  and  in  certain  granite 
aggregates,  and  rolled  masses  of  porphyries,  &c.,  around  the  shores 
of  Lakes  Huron,  Michigan,  and  Superior. 

2.  Actynolite. — In  slender,  translucent,  greenish  crystals,  per- 
vading rolled  masses  of  serpentine,  on  the  west  shores  of  Lake 
Michigan. 

9.    WOODSTONE. 

1.  Mineralized  Wood. — In  bed  of  the  River  Des  Plaines,  Illinois. 

2.  Agatized  Wood. — This  variety  of  fossil  wood  is  found  along 
the  alluvial  shores  of  the  Mississippi  and  of  the  Missouri. 

c.   Calcareous  Minerals. 

1.  Carbonate  of  Lime. 

Of  a  substance  so  universally  distributed  throughout  the  western 
country,  it  will  not  be  necessary  to  give  many  localities,  and  these 
will  be  j)rincipally  confined  to  its  crystalline  forms. 

Subs.  1. — Calcareous  Spar. 

Crystallized  Calcareous  Spar. — This  mineral  occurs,  in  minute 
rhomboidal  crystals,  in   the   calcareous   rock  of  the   Island   of 


APPENDIX.  6ol 

Micliilimackinac.  Sometimes  these  crystals  fill  cavities  or  seams 
of  the  rock,  or  are  studded  over  the  angular  surfaces  of  masses  of 
vesicular  limestone  of  that  island,  I  also  found  this  mineral  at 
Dubuque's  mines,  and  in  small  crystals  in  the  metalliferous  lime- 
stone bordering  the  Fox  Kiver,  between  the  post  of  Green  Bay 
and  Winnebago  Lake,  where  it  is  associated  with  iron  pyrites 
and  blende. 

Subs.  2. — Compact  Limestone. 

In  proceeding  northwest  of  Detroit,  this  mineral  is  first  observed, 
in  situ,  on  an  island  in  Lake  Huron.  It  is  afterwards  found  to 
be  the  prevailing  rock  along  the  south  and  southwest  shores  of 
Lake  Huron.  In  many  places,  it  incloses  fossil  remains.  Some- 
times it  is  earthy^  as  at  Bay  De  Noquet,  a  part  of  Green  Bay,  on 
Lake  Michigan,  where  it  contains  very  perfect  remains  of  the 
terrebratula.  (Parkinson.)  In  other  places,  no  remains  whatever 
are  visible,  and  the  structure  is  firm  and  compact;  or  even  passes, 
by  a  further  graduation,  into  transition-granular,  of  which,  it  is 
believed,  the  west  shores  of  Lake  Michigan  afford  an  instance.  It 
is  most  commonly  based  upon  sandstone,  which  also  contains,  in 
many  places,  the  fossil  organized  remains  of  various  species  of 
crustaceous  animals,  and  of  vegetables,  sometimes,  coal,  &;c. 

Subs.  3. — Agaric  Mineral. 

This  mineral  substance  occurs  in  crevices  and  cavities  in  the 
calcareous  rock  of  the  Island  of  Michilimackinac,  Michigan. 

Subs.  4. — Concrete  Carbonate  of  Lime. 

1.  Calcareous  Sinter. — In  the  form  of  stahct'des  and  stalagmites^ 
in  a  cave  situated  near  Prairie  du  Chien,  on  the  Upper  Mississippi. 

2.  Calcareous  Tufa. — A  remarkable  formation  of  tufa  is  seen 
on  the  east  banks  of  the  Wabash  River,  near  Wynemac's  Tillage, 
about  ten  miles  above  the  junction  of  the  Tippecanoe.  It  extends 
for  several  miles,  and  is  deposited  to  the  thickness  of  thirty  or 
forty  feet  above  the  water,  forming  cliffs  which  are  covered  with 
alluvial  soil  and  sustain  a  growth  of  forest  trees.  The  precise 
points  of  its  commencement  and  disappearance  were  not  observed. 
The  structure  is  cellular  or  vesicular,  and  resembles,  in  some 
places,  a  coarse  dried  mortar.     It  is  very  light,  and  possesses  a 


852  APPENDIX. 

white  color  in  inferior  situations,  but  the  surface  is  somewhat 
colored  by  fallen  leaves  and  other  decaying  vegetation.  It  imbeds 
fluvatile  shells  and  some  vegetable  remains,  the  species  of  which 
have  not  been  ascertained.  The  opposite,  or  west  side  of  the 
river  consists  of  a  kind  of  puddingstone,  or  caschalo,  made  up  of 
pebbles  of  quartz,  &c.,  cemented  by  carbonate  of  lime,  of  a  yellow 
color  and  translucent.  This  beautiful  aggregate  is  overlayed  by 
a  stratum,  of  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  in  thickness,  of  diluvial  soil. 
These  localities  fall  within  the  limits  of  the  State  of  Indiana;  but 
on  territories  still  occupied,  if  not  owned,  by  the  aborigines. 

3.  Pseiidomorphons  Garhoyiate  of  Lime. — This  form  of  carbonate 
of  lime  occurs  in  Pope  County,  Illinois,  a  district  celebrated  for 
its  fluorspar,  lead,  crystallized  quartz,  (fee,  and  bearing  the  un- 
equivocal marks  of  a  secondary  formation.  Scattered  in  large 
masses  over  the  soil,  we  observe  compact  limestone,  with  very 
perfect  cubical,  octahedral,  or  other  regular  cavities,  which  have 
manifestly  originated  from  crystals  of  fluorspar.  The  most  com- 
mon impress  of  this  kind  appears  to  have  resulted  from  two  cubes 
variously  joined — a  form  of  appearance  very  common  to  the  Illi- 
nois fluates.  Some  of  these  cubical  cavities  exceed  three  inches 
square;  but  in  no  case  is  any  remaining  portion  of  the  spar  in 
these  cavities,  or  anywise  connected  with  the  fragments  of  lime- 
stone thus  impressed,  although,  at  the  same  time,  the  spar  is  very 
abundant  in  the  alluvial  soil  where  these  curious  limestones  are 
found. 

2.  Sulphate  of  Lime. 
Subs.  Gi/psum. 

1.  Fibrous  Gypsum. — In  the  alluvial  soil  of  the  St.  Martin's 
Islands,  Lake  Huron.  The  fibres  are  sometimes  five  or  six  inches 
in  length,  of  a  white  color  and  delicate  crystalline  lustre.  Some- 
times these  fibrous  masses  are  partially  colored  yellow  or  brown, 
apparently  from  the  clay,  or  mixed  alluvion,  in  which  they  are 
imbedded. 

2.  Granular  Gypsum.  ^ 

3.  Granularly- Foliated  Gijpsum.  >"VYith  the  preceding. 

4.  Earthy  Gypsum.  ) 


APPE^TDIX.  353 


Fluate  of  Lime. 


Fluor-Spar. — On  the  United  States  Mineral  Eeserve,  Pope 
County,  Illinois.  This  locality  is  abundant,  and  the  mineral 
readily  and  constantly  to  be  obtained.  I  first  obtained  specimens 
in  June,  1818,  and  afterwards  visited  it  in  July,  1821.  It  is  dis- 
seminated in  loose  masses  throughout  the  soil,  and  in  veins  in  the 
calcareous  rocks.  The  spot  most  noted  and  resorted  to,  and 
where  the  original  discovery  was  made,  is  four  miles  west  of  Bar- 
ker's Ferry,  at  Cave-in-Eock,  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  and  about 
twenty-six  miles,  by  the  course  of  the  river,  below  Shawneetown. 
It  is  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  hilly,  broken  region,  called  the 
Knobs,  a  tract  of  highlands  intervening  between  the  banks  of  the 
Ohio  and  the  Saline.  The  distance  of  this  range  from  north  to 
south,  or  parallel  with  the  course  of  the  Ohio,  cannot  be  stated. 
It  probably  extends  from  near  the  banks  of  the  Wabash  River 
to  the  Little  Chain  of  Rocks.  Its  breadth — from  Barker's  Ferry, 
west,  to  Ensminger's,  at  the  Saline,  is  about  twenty  miles.  It 
thus  separates,  by  a  rocky  border,  the  prairies  of  the  Illinois  from 
the  current  of  the  Ohio  River.  These  knobs,  wherever  observed, 
bear  the  indubitable  marks  of  secondary  formation,  and  may  be 
stated  to  consist,  essentially,  of  compact  limestone  resting  on  sand- 
stone. The  sandstone  is  sometimes  so  much  colored  by  iron,  and 
by  globular  or  irregular  masses  of  iron  stone,  as  to  give  that  rock 
a  very  singular  aspect.  This  may  be  particularly  instanced  in 
the  mural  front  of  the  Battery  rocks  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio. 
Every  part  of  this  formation  has  more  or  less  the  appearance  of 
a  mineral  country ;  and  it  is  already  known  as  the  locality  of 
ores  of  lead,  iron,  and  zinc,  of  crystallized  quartz,  of  opal,  heavy 
spar,  crystallized  pyrites,  and  of  very  perfect  fossil  madrepores. 
In  one  place  (near  the  head  of  Hurricane  Island)  this  spar  forms 
a  very  large  and  compact  vein,  dipping  under  the  bed  of  the 
Ohio.  AVhere  the  rock  has  been  explored,  it  is  found  in  connec- 
tion with  sulphuret  of  lead,  but  it  has  been  mostly  procured,  be- 
cause most  easy  of  access,  in  the  alluvial  soil.  I  went  out  about 
half  a  mile  west  of  the  Ohio,  where  a  new  locality  has  been  opened, 
and,  in  removing  about  five  or  six  solid  feet  of  earth,  procured  as 
many  specimens  as  filled  a  box  of  fourteen  inches  square.  None 
of  these  were  more  than  two  feet  below  the  surface.  One  of  these 
23 


354  APPENDIX. 

specimens  is  an  irregular  octahedral  crystal,  eight  inches  in  diame- 
ter. The  color  of  these  masses  is  various  shades  of  blue,  violet, 
or  red,  sometimes  perfectly  white  or  yellow;  and  the  form  most 
commonly  assumed  is  a  cube,  sometimes  truncated  at  two  or  more 
angles,  or  variously  clustered.  The  external  lustre  of  the  crystals, 
raised  from  alluvial  soil,  is  feeble,  but  quite  brilliant  when  taken 
from  veins  and  cavities  in  the  rock.  These  spars  from  the  allu- 
vion do  not  appear  to  exist  as  rock  debris,  or  fragments  worn  off 
from  other  formations,  but  as  original  deposits.  There  are  no 
marks  of  attrition.  They  appear  as  much  in  place  as  the  lime- 
stone rocks  below.  It  should  also  be  recollected  that  this  mineral 
tract  is  terminated  by  one  of  the  greatest  and  most  valuable  salt 
formations  in  the  western  country — that  of  the  Illinois  Saline. 

Septaria:  Ludus  Helmontii. — This  variety  of  calcareous  marl  is 
found,  in  orbicular  or  flattened  masses,  along  the  eastern  shores  of 
Lake  Michigan,  between  the  rivers  St.  Joseph's  and  Kalemazo. 
Its  original  situation  appears  to  be  the  beds  of  marly  clay  which 
form  the  banks  of  Lake  Michigan  at  these  places,  from  which 
these  masses  have  been  disengaged  by  the  waves,  and  left  pro- 
miscuously among  the  washed  and  eroded  debris  of  the  shore. 
These  masses  are  penetrated  by  numerous  seams  and  lines  of  cal- 
careous spar,  sometimes  radiating  star-like,  or  intersecting  each 
other  irregularly.  Occasionally,  these  seams  are  filled  with  sul- 
phuret  of  zinc,  and  in  these  cases  the  spar,  if  any  be  present,  is 
rose-colored. 

d.  Aluminous  Minerals. 

1.  Argillaceous  Slate. 

1.  Argillite,  or  Common  Argillaceous  Slate. — Along  the  banks  of 
the  Eiver  St.  Louis,  at  the  Grand  Portage,  &c.  It  occurs  in  a 
vertical  position,  embracing  veins,  or  subordinate  beds,  of  grau- 
wakke,  milky  quartz,  chlorite  slate,  and  silicious  slate,  &c.  It  is 
bounded  on  one  side  by  red  sandstone,  and  on  the  other  by  an 
extensive  tract  of  diluvial  soil. 

2.  Bituminous  Shale. — In  detached  masses,  along  the  shores  of 
Lake  Huron,  between  Fort  Gratiot  and  Thunder  Bay.  It  con- 
tains amorphous  masses  of  iron  pyrites,  of  a  yellow  color  and 
metallic  brilliancy,  which  soon  tarnishes  on  exposure  to  the  air. 


APPENDIX.  355 


2.  Chlorite. 


Chlorite  Slate. — la  subordinate  strata  in  the  argillite  of  the 
River  St.  Louis. 

3.  Staurotide. 

In  garnet-colored  crystals,  in  detached  blocks  of  mica-slate,  in 
the  drift  of  Lake  Huron.  These  crystals  consist  of  two  intersect- 
ing six-sided  prisms,  truncated  at  both  ends,  forming  the  cross. 
They  are  nearly  opaque,  or  feebly  translucent  on  the  fractured 
edge. 

4.  Clat. 

1.  Plastic  Clay. — Yery  extensive  beds  of  this  clay  are  seen 
along  the  west  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,, between  Sturgeon  Bay 
Portage  and  Chicago.  Its  color  is  generally  a  light  blue,  verging 
sometimes  into  deep  blue  or  grayish- white.  It  is  plastic  in  water, 
adheres  strongly  to  the  tongue,  takes  a  polish  from  the  nail,  and 
emits  an  argillaceous  odor  when  moistened  or  breathed  upon. 
These  beds  of  clay  frequently  contain  iron  pyrites,  both  in  the 
crystallized  and  amorphous  state. 

2.  Pipe  Clay. — In  the  flats  of  the  St.  Clair  and  Lake  George, 
Michigan.  A  bed  of  clay,  apparently  answering  to  this  descrip- 
tion, exists  at  White  Eiver,  Lake  Michigan.  Its  color  is  a  gray- 
ish-white, verging  to  blue.  It  is  very  unctuous  and  adhesive  when 
first  raised,  but  acquires  more  or  less  of  a  meagre  feel  as  it  parts 
with  its  moisture,  drying  in  firm  and  compact  masses. 

3.  Variegated  Clay. — On  the  banks  of  the  Eiver  St.  Peter's, 
Upper  Mississippi.  Neither  the  quantity  in  which  it  exists,  nor 
the  precise  locality  is  known.  Its  color  is  white,  variegated  with 
stripes,  spots,  or  clouds  of  red  or  yellow. 

4.  Azure  Blue  Clay  of  St.  Petards. — The  locality  of  this  substance, 
as  communicated  by  the  Indians,  is  the  declivity  of  a  hill,  in  the 
rear  of  the  village  of  Sessitongs,  one  mile  above  the  confluence  of 
the  Terre  Blue  River  with  the  St.  Peter's.  It  is  found  near  the 
foot  of  this  hill,  between  two  layers  of  sandstone  rock,  in  a  vein 
about  fifteen  inches  in  thickness.  This  vein  is  elevated  about 
twenty  feet  above  the  waters  of  the  Terre  Bleu,  and  does  not  ex- 
tend far  in  the  direction  of  the  river.  Having  been  resorted  to 
by  the  Sioux  Indians  a  long  time,  a  considerable  excavation  has 
been  made,  but  the  supply  is  constant.     The  color  of  this  mineral 


856  APPENDIX. 

substance  (its  distinguisliing  character)  is  an  azure  copper  blue  of 
more  or  less  intensity.  It  is  ductile  and  moderately  adhesive, 
when  first  taken  up,  or  when  moistened  with  water,  but  acquires 
an  almost  stony  solidity  on  drying.  It  is  considerably  adulterated 
with  sand  or  particles  of  quartz.  It  parts  with  its  moisture  ra- 
pidly on  exposure  to  the  atmosphere,  and  dries  without  much 
apparent  diminution  of  volume. 

5.  Qreen  Clay  of  St.  Peter's.— This  differs  little  from  the  pre- 
ceding, except  in  its  color,  which  is  a  deep  or  verdigris  green,  ad- 
mitting some  diversity  of  shades.  Its  composition  appears  to  be, 
essentially,  alumina,  silica,  carbonate  of  copper,  water,  and  iron. 

6.  Opivagunite;  Calamet  Stone;  Pijje  Stone. — The  last  of  these 
terms  is  a  translation  of  the  first,  which  is  Algonquin.  Under 
these  names,  a  peculiar  kind  of  stone,  which  is  much  employed 
by  the  Indians  for  pipes,  has  been  alluded  to  by  travellers  and 
geographers  from  the  earliest  times.  It  appears  to  be  a  variety 
of  argillaceous  wackke.  Its  color  is  most  commonly  a  uniform 
dull  red,  resembling  that  of  red  chalk.  Sometimes  it  is  spotted 
with  brown  or  yeUow,  but  these  spots  are  very  minute,  and  the 
colors  usually  faint.  It  is  perfectly  opaque,  very  compact  in  its 
structure,  and  possessing  that  degree  of  hardness  which  admits 
its  being  cut  or  scraped  with  a  knife,  or  sawed  without  injury  to 
a  common  hand-saw,  when  first  raised  from  the  quarry;  but  it 
acquires  hardness  by  exposure,  and  even  takes  a  polish.  But  it  is 
not  capable  of  receiving  a  polish  by  the  usual  process  of  rubbing 
with  grit-stone  and  pumice,  these  substances  being  too  harsh  for 
it.  The  Indian  process  is  to  scrape  or  file  it  smooth,  and  give  it 
a  polish  by  rubbing  with  the  scouring  rush.  Its  powder  is  a  light 
red,  and  emits  an  argillaceous  odor  when  wetted.  This  substance 
is  procured  at  the  Coteau  des  Prairie,  intermediate  between  the 
sources  of  the  St.  Peter's  and  the  Great  Sioux  Elvers.  Some  other 
places  have  been  mentioned  as  affording  this  mineral,  particularly 
a  locality  on  the  waters  of  Chippewa  Eiver ;  but  the  mineral  pro- 
cured here  is  chocolate-colored. 

e.  Magnesian  Minerals. 
1.  Serpentine. 

At  Presque  Isle  Point,  Lake  Superior,  common  and  precious,  in 
isolated  masses;  also,  in  connection  with,  and  imbedding  native 


APPENDIX.  357 

copper,  along  the  southern  shore  of  Lake  Superior,  at  Ontonagon 
River,  &c. 

2.  Steatite. 

At  Presque  Isle,  near  Hiver  au  Mort,  Lake  Superior,  in  con- 
nection with  the  serpentine  formation.  Also,  at  the  Lake  of  the 
Woods,  of  a  black  or  very  dark  color,  where  it  is  employed  by 
the  Indians  in  carving  pipes. 

3.  Asbestos. 

Common  Asbestos. — In  serpentine  and  steatite,  at  Presque  Isle 
Point,  Lake  Superior.  Also,  in  minute  veins,  in  detached  masses 
of  diallage  and  serpentine  rocks,  on  the  west  shore  of  Lake  Michi- 
gan. These  veins  are  no  more  than  a  fourth  of  an  inch  in  width, 
and  the  fibres  of  asbestos  occur  transversely.  They  are  very 
flexible,  and  easily  reducible  into  a  flocculent  mass. 


f.  Barytic  Minerals. 

Sulphate  of  Barttes. 

Lamellar  Sulphate  of  Barytes. — In  detached  masses,  imbedded 
in  diluvial  soil,  at  the  mines  of  Peosta,  or  Dubuque,  on  the  Upper 
Mississippi,  where  it  is  accompanied  by  sulphuret  of  lead,  cal- 
careous spar,  &c.  Also,  at  the  Mine  au  Fevre  (now  Galena),  and 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Sissinaway  River,  on  the  east  banks  of  the 
Mississippi,  between  Prairie  du  Chien  and  Fort  Armstrong.  Its 
colors  are  white  or  yellow,  and  it  is  frequently  incrusted  with  a 
thin  coat  of  yellow  oxide  of  iron.  It  is  most  commonly  opaque. 
The  only  translucent  specimen  seen  was  procured  at  Dubuque's 
mines. 

g.  Strontian  Minerals. 
Sulphate  of  Strontian. 

Foliated  Sulphate  of  Strontian. — At  Presque  Isle  (Wayne's  Battle 
Ground),  on  the  Maumee  River,  Wood  County,  Ohio,  It  occurs 
in  veins  and  cavities,  in  compact  limestone,  most  commonly  in 
the  form  of  flattened  prisms.  Its  color  is  blue,  frequently  a  very 
light  or  sky-blue,  and  the  crystals  are  fully  translucent,  or  even 


358  APPENDIX. 

transparent.  In  some  instances,  they  appear  to  have  suffered  a 
partial  decomposition,  and  fall  into  fragments  in  the  act  of  raising, 
or  are  covered  with  a  white  powdery  crust,  frequently  visible 
only  on  the  summits  or  terminating  points  of  the  prisms.  The 
same  limestone  yields  crystallized  calcareous  spar.  Both  these 
substances  are  abundant  in  the  rocky  banks  and  in  the  bed  of 
the  Maumee.    Also,  on  Grosse  Isle,  Detroit  Eiver,  Michigan. 

h.  Bituminous  Minerals. 

1.  Bitumen. 

Petroleum. — Occurs  in  cavities,  in  loose  fragments  of  limestone 
rock,  along  the  west  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  between  Milwaukie 
and  Chicago.  These  masses  of  rock  lie  promiscuously  among 
fragments  of  quartz,  granite,  sandstone,  fossil  madrepores,  &c., 
along  the  alluvial  shore  of  the  lake,  and  appear  to  have  been 
washed  up  from  its  bed.  The  petroleum  is  in  a  free  and  liquid 
state;  but,  where  it  has  suffered  an  exposure  to  the  atmosphere, 
it  has  acquired  a  stiff  and  tar-like  consistence  passing  into  maltha. 
Not  unfrequently,  fragments  of  mineral  coal  are  also  found  scat- 
tered along  these  shores,  and  there  is  reason  to  conclude  that  a 
bituminous  formation  exists  in  the  contiguous  inferior  strata 
forming  the  basin  of  the  lake. 

2.  Graphite. 

Granular  Graphite. — In  a  small  vein,  in  the  clay-slate  of  the 
Eiver  St.  Louis,  at  the  head  of  the  nine-mile  portage.  It  is 
coarse-grained  and  gritty. 

3.  Coal. 

Slaty  Coal. — The  only  spot  where  this  mineral  has  been  ob- 
served, in  situ,  is  at  La  Charbonni^re,  on  the  west  banks  of  the 
Illinois  River,  at  the  computed  distance  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  miles  south  of  the  post  of  Chicago.  It  is  here  seen  in 
horizontal  strata,  not  exceeding  two  or  three  inches  in  thickness, 
interposed  between  layers  of  sandstone  and  shale.  Breaking  out 
on  the  declivity  of  the  bank  of  the  river,  where  the  overlaying 
strata  are  constantly  crumbling  down,  and  thus  obscuring  the 
seams,  no  very  satisfactory  examination  could  be  made  in  a  hasty 


APPENDIX.  359 

visit;  but  the  nature  and  position  of  the  rock  strata  and  soils, 
and  the  general  aspect  of  the  country,  do  not  justify  the  conclu- 
sion that  the  bed  is  of  much  thickness  or  extent.  Valuable  beds 
may  be  discovered,  however,  by  exploring  this  formation.  This 
coal  has  a  shining  black  color,  a  slaty  structure,  inflames  readily, 
burning  with  a  bright  flame.  It  is  very  fragile  where  exposed  to 
the  weather,  falling  into  fine  fragments.  Hence,  a  very  black 
color  has  been  communicated  to  the  contiguous  and  overlaying 
soil,  which  is  manifestly  more  or  less  the  result  of  disintegrated 
coal. 

Detached  fragments  of  coal,  corresponding  in  mineral  charac- 
ters with  the  above,  are  occasionally  found  around  the  southern 
shores  of  Lake  Michigan.  The  inference,  as  to  the  existence  of 
coal  around  the  shores  of  this  lake,  is  obvious.  And  we  are  led 
to  inquire:  Does  the  La  Charbonni^re  formation  of  coal  exist  in 
the  sandstone  and  limestone  strata  forming  the  table-land  between 
the  Illinois  Eiver  and  Lake  Michigan,  and  reappearing  around  the 
basin  of  the  latter,  but  at  such  a  depression  below  its  surface  as 
to  elude  observation  ?  And,  if  so,  does  not  this  coal  formation 
extend  quite  across  the  southern  portion  of  the  peninsula  of 
Michigan?  The  secondary  character  of  the  region  alluded  to, 
so  far  as  observed,  the  horizontal  and  relative  position  of  the 
strata,  and  the  general  uniformity  which  is  generally  observed  in 
the  species  and  order  of  the  coal  measures,  favor  this  suggestion. 


i.  Soda. 

1.  Muriate  of  Soda. 

No  traces  of  salt  are  known  to  have  been  discovered  in  those 
parts  of  the  territory  of  the  United  States  situated  north  of  lati- 
tude 46°  31'  (which  is  that  of  the  Sault  Ste.  Marie)  and  east  of 
the  Mississippi  Eiver.  The  great  secondary  formations  which 
pervade  the  western  country  cease  south  of  this  general  limit, 
and  with  them  terminate  the  salt  springs,  the  gypsum  beds,  the 
coal  measures,  and  other  connected  minerals  which  are  generally 
found  in  association.  It  is  one  of  the  most  important  facts  which 
the  science  of  geology  has  contributed  to  the  stock  of  useful  in- 
formation, that,  in  the  natural  order  of  the  rocky  and  earthy 


360  APPENDIX. 

deposits,  muriate  of  soda  always  occupies  a  position  contiguous 
to  that  of  gypsum.  This  intimate  connection  between  the  sul- 
phate of  lime  and  the  muriate  of  soda,  enables  us,  by  the  discovery 
of  the  one,  to  predict,  with  considerable  but  not  unerring  certainty, 
the  presence  of  the  other.  It  adds  weight  to  an  observation  first 
made  among  the  salt  formations  of  Europe,  to  find  its  general 
correctness  corroborated  by  the  relative  position  of  these  sub- 
stances in  the  United  States.  These  remarks  will  apply  particu- 
larly to  the  salt  formations  of  New  York,  and  to  some  portions 
of  the  muriatiferous  region  of  Virginia  and  the  Arkansas. 

There  appears  to  be  a  salt  formation  extending  from  the  north- 
west angle  of  the  Ohio  through  Michigan,  for  a  distance  of  two 
hundred  to  three  hundred  miles.  It  commences  in  the  Seweekly 
country,  passing  around  the  Sandusky  River  of  Lake  Erie,  where 
an  extensive  bed  of  granular  gypsum  has  recently  been  discovered, 
and  continues,  probably,  northwest,  so  as  to  embrace  the  Saganaw 
basin,  and  reach  quite  to  the  end  of  the  peninsula,  and  embracing, 
perhaps,  the  Gypsum  Islands  of  Lake  Huron,  ten  miles  northeast 
of  Michilimackinac.  All  the  brine  springs  and  gypsum  beds 
noticed  in  the  region  are  situated  in  the  line  of  this  formation. 

During  the  fall  of  1821,  a  number  of  gentlemen  at  the  Island 
of  Michilimackinac  united  in  the  expenses  of  a  tour  for  exploring 
the  Skeboigon  River,  a  stream  which  originates  in  the  peninsula 
of  Michigan,  and  flows  into  Lake  Huron  opposite  the  Island  of 
Bois  Blanc.  The  particular  object  of  this  party  was  to  ascertain 
the  precise  locality  of  certain  salt  springs  reported  to  exist  upon 
that  stream.  They  proceeded  to  the  places  indicated,  and  ex- 
amined several  springs  more  or  less  impregnated  with  salt,  but 
reported  that,  owing  to  the  jealousy  and  hostility  of  those  bands 
of  Indians  who  were  found  upon  that  stream,  they  were  not  en- 
abled fully  to  accomplish  the  object  in  view. 

There  are  several  salt  springs  reported  to  exist  near  the  Indian 
village  of  Wendagon,  on  the  Sciawassa  River,  and  others  on  the 
Titabawassa  River,  the  principal  tributaries  of  the  Sagana.  Little 
is,  however,  known  respecting  these  springs,  but  the  water  is  re- 
presented to  be  so  strongly  impregnated,  that  the  Indians  manu- 
facture from  it  all  the  salt  necessary  for  their  villages. 

Grand  River  Yalley  has  also  been  mentioned  among  the  locali- 
ties of  salt  water  and  gypsum  rocks. 


APPENDIX.  361 

Hints  may  thus  be  derived  of  value  to  the  future  commerce 
of  the  country.  Scarcely  any  of  the  new  states  are  without 
indications  of  the  existence  of  salt.  Every  day  is  adding  to  the 
number  of  localities. 

In  the  region  ivest  of  the  Mississippi,  I  was  informed  that  salt 
occurs,  in  the  crystallized  form,  in  the  territories  of  the  Yanktons, 
who  inhabit  the  flat  country  at  the  sources  of  the  Eiver  St.  Peter's. 
In  certain  parts  of  these  plains,  the  salt  exists  on  the  surface.  It 
is  mixed  with  earth,  in  specimens  brought  to  me,  but  crystallized 
in  cubes,  very  imperfect,  of  a  gray  or  grayish- white  color.  The 
Indians  scrape  it  up  from  certain  parts  of  the  prairies  or  plains, 
where  the  salt  water  is  prevented  from  draining  off. 

2.  Alkaline  Sulphate  of  Alumina. 

This  salt  exists,  in  the  form  of  efflorescences,  in  the  cavities  and 
fissures  of  rocks  along  the  southeast  parts  of  the  shores  of  Sagana 
Bay,  Lake  Huron,  and  in  the  argillaceous  formations  at  Erie,  on 
Lake  Erie,  Pennsylvania. 


These  positions  embrace  the  principal  localities  of  minerals 
noticed.  In  travelling  rapidly  through  a  remote  wilderness,  there 
was  but  little  opportunity  to  explore  off  the  track ;  and  the  whole 
observation  was  confined  to  the  mere  surface  of  the  country,  which 
is  much  obscured  by  diluvial  and  alluvial  formations. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  region  of  Lake  Superior  has  been  a 
fruitful  field  for  mineralogical  inquiry,  and  it  is  one  which  invites 
further  exploration.  Its  mineralogy  affords  a  variety  of  interest- 
ing substances  which  are  objects  of  scientific  research,  and  it  may 
be  anticipated  to  be  the  future  theatre  of  extensive  mining  opera- 
tions. The  country  northwest  of  Lake  Superior,  and  the  Upper 
Mississippi  north  of  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony — consisting  mostly 
of  upheaved  primitive  rocks  and  the  pebble-drift,  or  diluvial,  form- 
ations— has  furnished  but  few  subjects  of  mineralogical  remark. 

The  district  of  country  between  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony  and 
Prairie  du  Chien,  in  common  with  the  more  southern  portions  of 
the  Mississippi  Valley,  partakes  of  all  the  interest  which  the 
mineral  kingdom  presents  in  a  calcareous  and  metalliferous  country 
of  secondary  formation.    It  has  added  considerably  to  my  collec- 


362  APPENDIX. 

tion.     It  is  probable  the  Elvers  St.  Peter's,  St.  Croix,  and  Cbippe- 
way  would  well  reward  exploration ;  but  tbe  mines  of  Dubuque 
J  particularly  invite  a  mineralogical  survey.     Their  future  import- 
ance cannot  fail  to  be  duly  appreciated. 

If  the  country  has  put  on  an  aspect  unfavorable  to  mineralogy, 
its  geological  features  have  been  observed  to  sustain  its  interest. 

Much  of  the  interest  growing  out  of  the  examination,  for  the 
first  time,  of  the  mineralogy  and  natural  history  of  the  country, 
is  such  as  to  commend  itself,  in  an  especial  manner,  to  the  con- 
sideration of  men  of  science,  and  of  associations  devoted  to  sci- 
entific details,  rather  than  the  department  of  a  government.  To 
these  former,  nature  is  a  storehouse  of  facts,  and  a  perpetual 
anxiety  is  felt  by  this  class  of  observers  to  know  the  range,  not 
only  of  our  rock  formations,  but  of  our  plants,  shells,  fossils,  and 
other  classes  of  objects  in  our  physical  geography.  Such  desires 
I  have  endeavored,  as  far  as  my  means  permitted,  to  gratify. 
The  fresh-water  conchology  of  the  lakes  and  rivers  visited  was 
often  attractive,  when  other  objects  excited  little  interest.  The 
species  collected  in  this  department  have  been  referred  to  the 
New  York  Lyceum  of  Natural  History. 

With  these  remarks,  the  result  of  an  arduous  and  interesting 
journey  through  a  part  of  the  continent  hitherto  unexplored,  I 
have  the  honor  to  conclude  my  report,  and  to  terminate  the  trust 
confided  to  me. 

I  am,  sir,  with  respect, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

HENKY  E.  SCHOOLCEAFT, 

Geologist,  &c.  of  the  Ex.  Exp. 

VIII. 

/  A  Report  to  the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  in  Ansiver  to  a  Resolu- 
tion passed  hy  this  Body,  respecting  the  Value  and  Extent  of  the 
Mineral  Lands  on  Lake  Superior.'*'    By  Heney  E.  Schoolcraft. 

Sault  Ste.  Mabie,  October  1,  1822. 

Sir:  In  reply  to  the  inquiries,  contained  in  a  resolution  of  the 
Senate  of  the  United  States,  respecting  the  existence  of  copper 

*  To  the  Senate  of  the  United  States : — 

In  compliance  with  a  resolution  of  the  Senate  of  the  8th  May  last,  requesting 
"information  relative  to  the  copper  mines  on  the  southern  shore  of  Lake  Superior, 


APPENDIX.  363 

mines  in  the  region  of  Lake  Superior,  inclosed  to  me  in  a  note 
from  the  War  Department,  dated  8tb  May,  1822, 1  have  the  honor 
to  submit  to  you  the  following  facts  and  remarks: — 

1.  In  relation  to  ^Uhe  number,  value,  and  position  of  the  copj^er 
mines  on  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Superior.''^  The  remote  position 
of  the  country  alluded  to,  the  infrequency  of  communication,  and 
the  little  reliance  to  be  placed  on  information  derived  through 
the  medium  of  the  aborigines  or  of  traders,  who  are  wholly  en- 
grossed with  other  objects,  presents  an  embarrassment  at  the 
threshold  of  this  inquiry,  which  must  be  felt  by  every  person  who 
turns  his  attention  to  the  subject.  The  information  sought  for 
demands  a  minute  acquaintance  with  the  natural  features  and 
mineral  structure  of  the  country,  which  can  only  be  acquired  by 
personal  examination;  and  it  is  a  species  of  research  requiring 
more  leisure,  better  opportunities,  and  a  freer  participation  in 
personal  fatigue,  than  usually  falls  to  the  share  of  tourists  and 
travellers.  Not  only  are  those  difficulties  to  be  encountered  which 
are  inseparable  from  the  collection  of  isolated  facts  in  a  new  and 
unsettled  country,  but  those,  also,  which  are  peculiar  to  the  sub- 
ject, connected  as  it  is,  at  every  stage  of  the  inquiry,  with  the 

their  number,  value,  and  position,  the  names  of  the  Indian  tribes  who  claim  them, 
the  practicability  of  extinguishing  their  titles,  and  the  probable  advantage  which 
may  result  to  the  Republic  from  the  acquisition  and  working  these  mines,"  I  here- 
with transmit  a  report  from  the  Secretary  of  War,  which  comprises  the  information 
desired  in  the  resolution  referred  to. 

JAMES  MONROE. 
Washington,  7th  December,  1822. 

Department  of  War,  3d  December,  1822. 

The  Secretary  of  War,  to  whom  was  referred  the  resolution  of  the  Senate  of  the 
8th  May  last,  requesting  the  President  of  the  United  States  "to  communicate  to 
the  Senate,  at  the  commencement  of  the  next  session  of  Congress,  any  information 
which  may  be  in  the  possession  of  the  Government,  derived  from  special  agents  or 
otherwise,  showing  the  number,  value,  and  position  of  the  copper  mines  on  the  south 
shore  of  Lake  Superior,  the  names  of  the  Indian  tribes  who  claim  them,  the  prac- 
ticability of  extinguishing  their  title,  and  the  probable  advantage  which  may  result 
to  the  Republic  from  the  acquisition  and  working  these  mines,"  has  the  honor  to 
transmit  a  report  of  Henry  R,  Schoolcraft,  Indian  agent  at  the  Sault  of  Ste.  Marie, 
on  the  copper  mines  in  the  region  of  Lake  Superior,  which  contains  all  the  infor- 
mation in  relation  to  the  subject  in  this  department. 

All  which  is  respectfully  submitted. 

J.  C.  CALHOUN. 

To  the  President  of  the  United  States. 


364  APPENDIX. 

prejudices  and  superstitions  of  the  Indian  tribes.  [B.]  It  can, 
therefore,  excite  little  surprise  that,  after  having  been  the  theme 
of  speculation  for  more  than  a  century,  and  obtained  the  notice 
of  several  works  of  merit  in  Europe,*  both  the  position  and  value 
of  these  mineral  beds  have  continued  to  the  present  times  to  be 
but  partially  known.  To  ascertain  more  clearly  their  value  and 
importance  to  the  Eepublic  were  objects  more  particularly  con- 
fided to  me  as  a  member  of  the  expedition  sent  by  the  Indian 
Department,  in  the  year  1820,  to  traverse  and  explore  those  re- 
gions. My  report  of  the  6th  of  November  of  that  year — a  copy 
of  which,  marked  A,  is  herewith  transmitted — gives  the  result  of 
that  inquiry.  After  a  lapse  of  two  years,  little  can  be  added. 
Eeflection  and  subsequent  inquiry  convince  me  that  the  facts  ad- 
vanced in  that  report  will  be  corroborated  by  future  observation. 
No  circumstance  has  transpired  which  is  calculated  to  prove  that 
my  suggestions  with  regard  to  the  fertility  and  future  importance 
of  those  mines  are  fallacious;  on  the  contrary,  all  information 
tends  to  strengthen  and  confirm  those  suggestions.  Specimens 
of  pure  and  malleable  copper  continue  to  be  brought  in  to  me 
by  the  aborigines  from  that  region,  but  it  is  not  deemed  necessary 
to  particularize  in  this  place  the  additional  localities.  It  will  be 
sufficient  to  observe,  that  the  number  of  these  new  discoveries 
justifies  the  expectations  that  have  been  created  respecting  the 
metalliferous  character  of  the  region  of  the  Ontonagon,  and  the 
south  shore  of  Lake  Superior.  [C] 

I  shall  here  add  the  result  of  an  accurate  analysis  made  upon 
a  specimen  of  this  copper  at  the  mint  of  Utrecht,  in  the  Nether- 
lands, at  the  request  of  Mr.  Eustis,  minister  plenipotentiary  from 
the  United  States,  who  carried  samples  of  the  American  copper 
to  that  country.  The  report  of  the  inspector  of  the  mint,  which 
communicates  the  result  of  this  analysis,  has  the  following  remarks 
upon  the  natural  properties  of  this  species  of  copper,  and  the 
mode  of  its  production:  "From  every  appearance,  the  piece  of 
copper  seems  to  have  been  taken  from  a  mass  that  has  undergone 
fusion.  The  melting  was,  however,  not  an  operation  of  art,  but 
a  natural  efiect  caused  by  a  volcanic  eruption.     The  stream  of 

*  Firfe  Jameson's  Mineralogy,  Parkes's  Chemical  Catechism,  Phillips's  Elementary 
Introduction  to  Mineralogy. 


■APPENDIX.  365 

lava  probably  carried  along  in  its  course  tlie  aforesaid  body  of 
copper,  that  had  formed  into  one  collection,  as  fast  as  it  was  heated 
enough  to  run,  from  all  parts  of  the  mine.  The  united  mass  was 
probably  borne  in  this  manner  to  the  place  where  it  now  rests  in 
the  soil.  The  crystallized  form,  observable  everywhere  on  the 
original  surface  of  the  metal  that  has  been  left  untouched  or  un- 
disturbed, leads  me  to  presume  that  the  fusion  it  has  sustained 
was  by  a  process  of  nature ;  since  this  crystallized  surface  can 
only  be  supposed  to  have  been  produced  by  a  slow  and  gradual 
cooling,  whereby  the  copper  assumed  regular  figures  as  its  heat 
passed  into  other  substances,  and  the  metal  itself  lay  exposed  to 
the  air. 

"As  to  the  properties  of  the  copper  itself,  it  may  be  observed 
that  its  color  is  a  clear  red ;  that  it  is  peculiarly  qualified  for  roll- 
ing and  forging;  and  that  its  excellence  is  indicated  by  its  re- 
semblance to  the  copper  usually  employed  by  the  English  for 
plating.  The  dealers  in  copper  call  this  sort  Peruvian  cop2oer  to 
distinguish  it  from  that  of  Sweden,  which  is  much  less  malleable. 
The  specimen  under  consideration  is  incomparably  better  than 
Swedish  copper,  as  well  on  account  of  its  brilliant  color  as  for  the 
fineness  of  its  pores  and  its  extreme  ductility.  Notwithstanding, 
before  it  is  used  in  manufactures,  or  for  the  coining  of  money,  it 
ought  to  be  melted  anew,  for  the  purpose  of  purifying  it  from 
such  earthy  particles  as  it  may  contain.  The  examination  of  the 
North  American  copper,  in  the  sample  received  from  his  excel- 
lency the  minister,  by  the  operation  of  the  cupel  and  test  by  fire, 
has  proved  that  it  does  not  contain  the  smallest  particle  of  silver, 
gold,  or  any  other  metal."  It  is  a  coincidence  worthy  of  remark, 
that  the  suggestions  offered  by  the  assayer  respecting  the  volcanic 
origin  of  these  masses  of  copper,  are  justified  by  the  leading  fea- 
tures of  the  Porcupine  Mountains,  and  by  the  melted  granites 
found  upon  the  heights  called  Grande  Sables  and  Ishpotonga. 

2,  The  second  and  third  inquiries  of  the  resolution  relate  to 
'''■the  names  of  the  Indian  tribes  ivho  claim  the  mines,  and  the  practi- 
cability of  extinguishing  their  titleP  By  the  treaty  concluded  at 
this  post  on  the  16th  of  June,  1820,  the  Ojibwai*  Indians  cede 
to  the  United  States  four  miles  square  of  territory,  bounded  by 

*  For  the  different  names  applied  to  this  tribe  of  Indians,  see  Appendix  H. 


APPENDIX. 

the  River  St.  Mary's,  and  including  tlie  portage  around  the  falls  * 
This  is  the  most  northerly  point  to  which  the  Indian  title  has 
been  extinguished  in  the  United  States.  The  different  bands  of 
Ojibwais  possess  all  the  country  northwest  of  this  post,  extend- 
ing through  Lake  Superior  to  the  sources  of  the  Mississippi, 
where  they  are  bounded  by  the  Assennaboins,  the  Crees,  and  the 
Chippewyans  of  the  Hudson  Bay  colony.  Their  lands  extend 
down  the  Mississippi  to  the  Sioux  boundary,  an  unsettled  line 
between  the  junction  of  the  River  De  Corbeau  and  the  Falls  of  St. 
Anthony.  South  of  Lake  Superior,  they  claim  to  the  possessions 
of  the  Winnebagoes,  on  the  Ouisconsin  and  Fox  Rivers,  and  to 
those  of  the  Pottawatamies  and  Ottoways,  on  Lake  Michigan. 
The  Wild  Rice,  or  Monomonee  Indians,  are  an  integral  part  of 
the  Ojibwai  nation,  deriving  their  name  from  the  great  reliance 
they  place  on  the  zizania  aquatica  as  an  article  of  food.  They 
live  in  small,  dispersed  bands  between  the  Ojibwais  of  the  lake, 
and  the  Winnebagoes  of  Fox  River.  Those  residing  among  the 
Ojibwais  speak  the  same  language,  but  with  many  peculiarities 
and  corruptions  on  the  waters  of  Green  Bay.  They  claim  the 
respective  tracts  upon  which  they  are  located.  These  are,  prin- 
cipally, the  valleys  of  the  Fox  and  Monomonee  Rivers,  and  the 
rice  lands  contiguous  to  the  Fol.  Avoine,  Clam  Lake,  and  Lac  de 
Flambeau,  which  lie  on  the  table-lands  between  Lake  Superior 
and  the  Mississippi. 

The  right  of  soil  to  all  that  part  of  the  Peninsula  of  Michigan 
not  purchased  by  the  United  States  is  divided  between  the  Ojib- 
wais and  the  Ottoways.  The  former  claim  all  the  shores  and 
islands  of  Lake  Huron  situated  north  of  the  Saganaw  purchase, 
except  those  in  the  vicinity  of  Michilimackinac  and  the  St.  Martin, 
or  Gypsum  Islands,  which  were  ceded  by  treaty  on  the  6th  of 
July,  1820.t  Their  territories  continue  north,  through  the  River 
St.  Mary's,  embracing  the  country  on  both  banks,  and  the  islands 
in  the  river,  saving  Drummond's  Island,  which  is  garrisoned  by 
the  British,  and  the  Four  Mile  concession  at  the  Sault  or  Falls, 
now  occupied  by  a  detachment  of  the  United  States'  army.  It  is 
not  deemed  necessary  to  point  out  the  limits  of  their  territories 

*  Vide  acts  passed  at  the  second  session  of  the  16th  Congress  of  the  United  States, 
page  88. 

f   Vide  acts  passed  at  the  second  session  of  the  16th  Congress,  p.  91. 


APPENDIX.  367 

with  more  precision,  or  to  pursue  them  into  the  Canadas,  where 
they  are  also  very  extensive.  It  will  sufficiently  appear,  from 
this  outline,  that  the  discoveries  of  copper  on  the  south  shore  of 
Lake  Superior  are  upon  their  lands.  That  some  of  these  dis- 
coveries have  been  made  upon,  or  will  be  traced  to,  the  posses- 
sions of  the  North  Monomonees,  is  also  probable. 

With  respect  to  the  practicability  of  extinguishing  the  Indian 
title,  no  difficulty  is  to  be  apprehended.  Living  in  small  villages, 
or  tribes  of  the  same  mark,  scattered  over  an  immense  territory, 
and  often  reduced  to  great  poverty  by  the  failure  of  game  and 
fish,  it  is  presumed  there  would  be  a  disposition  among  their  chiefs 
and  head  men  to  dispose  of  portions  of  it.  Those  districts  which 
most  abound  in  minerals,  presenting  a  rough  and  rocky  surface, 
are  the  least  valuable  to  them  as  hunting-grounds ;  and  the  goods 
and  annuities  which  they  would  receive  in  exchange  must  be 
vastly  more  important  to  them  than  any  game  which  these  mineral 
lands  now  afford. 

3.  "  The  prohahle  advantage  which  may  result  to  the  Republic  from 
the  acquisition  and  ivorking  of  these  m-ines^  How  far  metallic 
mines,  situated  upon  the  public  domain,  may  be  considered  as  a 
source  of  national  wealth,  and  what  system  of  management  is  best 
calculated  to  produce  the  greatest  advantages  to  the  public  reve- 
nue, are  inquiries  which  are  not  conceived  to  be  presented  for 
consideration  in  this  place ;  nor  should  I  presume  to  offer  any 
speculations  upon  topics  which  have  been  so  often  discussed,  and 
so  fully  settled.  In  applying  axioms,  however,  to  a  species  of 
productive  industry,  the  results  of  which  are  so  very  various 
under  various  situations,  great  caution  is  undoubtedly  necessary ; 
and  it  must  appear  manifest,  on  the  slightest  reflection,  how  much 
the  comparative  value  of  metallic  mines,  equally  fertile  and  pro- 
ductive, ever  depends  upon  situation  and  local  advantages.  Dis- 
missing, therefore,  all  questions  of  abstract  policy,  I  shall  here 
adduce  a  few  facts  in  relation  to  the  fertility  of  these  mineral ,/ 
beds,  and  their  position  with  respect  to  a  market — points  upon 
which  their  value  to  the  nation  must  ultimately  turn. 

That  copper  is  abundantly  found  on  the  south  shore  of  Lake  ^ 
Superior  has  been  shown.     It  is  unnecessary  here  to  add  to,  or 
repeat  the  instances  of  its  occurrence,  or  to  urge,  from  an  inspec- 
tion of  the  surface,  the  fertility  of  subterranean  beds.     All  the 


868  APPENDIX. 

facts  wlncli  I  possess  in  relation  to  this  subject  are  before  you, 
and  you  will  assign  to  them  such  importance  as  they  merit.  It 
is  a  subject  upon  which  I  have  bestowed  some  reflection  and 
much  inquiry,  superadded  to  limited  opportunities  of  personal 
observation,  and  the  result  has  led  me  to  form  a  favorable  esti- 
mate of  their  value  and  importance.  It  is  not  only  certain  that  a 
prodigious  number  of  masses  of  metallic  copper  are  found  along 
the  borders  of  the  lake,  but  every  appearance  authorizes  a  con- 
clusion that  they  are  only  the  indications  of  near  and  continuous 
veins.  Some  of  these  masses  are  of  unexampled  size,  and  all 
present  metallic  copper  in  a  state  of  great  purity  and  fineness. 
Of  its  ductile  and  excellent  qualities  for  the  purposes  of  coinage 
and  sheathing,  the  analysis  of  Utrecht  leaves  no  doubt.  It  is 
true  that  a  mistaken  idea  has  prevailed  among  travellers  and 
geographers  respecting  the  weight  of  the  great  mass  of  copper  on 
the  Ontonagon  Eiver;  but  it  is,  nevertheless,  of  extraordinary 
dimensions,  and  I  have  endeavored  to  show,  from  their  works, 
how  these  errors  have  originated,  and  that  the  metal  is  dissemi- 
nated throughout  a  much  greater  extent  of  country,  and  in  masses 
of  every  possible  form  and  size.  Until  my  facts  and  data  can, 
therefore,  be  proved  to  be  fallacious,  I  must  be  permitted  to  con- 
sider these  mines  not  only  fertile  in  native  copper  and  its  con- 
generous species,  but  unparalleled  in  extent,  and  to  recommend 
them  as  such  to  the  notice  of  the  Government. 

But,  whatever  degree  of  incertitude  may  exist  respecting  the 
riches  of  these  mines,  their  situation  with  respect  to  a  market  can 
admit  of  no  dispute.  As  little  can  there  be  concerning  the  ad- 
vantages which  this  situation  presents  for  the  purposes  of  mining 
and  commerce.  Let  us  compare  it  with  that  of  other  mines,  and 
appeal  to  acknowledged  facts  for  the  decision.  The  value  of  a 
coal  mine,  a  stone  quarry,  or  a  gypsum  bed,  often  arises  as  much 
from  its  situation  as  its  fertility.  But  the  proposition  may  be 
reversed  with  respect  to  a  metallic  mine,  the  value  of  which  to 
the  proprietor  arises  more  from  its  fertility  and  less  from  its  situa- 
tion. Gold,  silver,  copper,  tin,  lead,  &c.,  when  separated  from  the 
matrix  of  the  mine,  are  so  valuable  that  they  can  bear  to  be  tran- 
sported a  long  journey  over  land,  and  the  most  distant  voyage 
by  water.  Their  worth  in  coined  money,  produce,  or  manufac- 
tures, is  not  fixed  in  the  particular  circles  of  country  where  they 


APPEXDIX.  369 

are  dug  up,  but  depends  upon  the  seaboard  market,  and  embraces 
all  countries.  The  silver  of  Mexico  and  Peru  circulates  throuo-h- 
out  Europe,  and  is  carried  to  China.  It  is  no  objection  to  those 
mines  that  they  are  situated  in  the  Cordilleras,  or  upon  the  high 
table-lands  of  the  American  continent,  and  must  be  carried  a 
thousand  miles  upon  the  backs  of  mules  to  the  seaside.  The 
very  discovery  of  those  mines  has  rendered  many  poor  silver 
mines  of  Europe  of  no  value,  although  possibly  situated  in  the 
environs  of  the  best  silver  markets  in  the  world.  It  is  the  fer- 
tility, and  not  the  situation  of  such  mines,  that  constitutes  their 
chief  value;  and  it  is  so  with  many  of  the  coarser  metals. 

The  tin  of  the  Island  of  Banka,  and  the  Peninsula  of  Siam  in 
Asia,  and  the  copper  of  Japan,  find  their  way  to  Europe,  and  are 
articles  of  commerce  in  the  United  States.  The  cobalt  of  Saxony 
is  sent  to  Pekin,  and  the  platina  of  Choco,  to  all  parts  of  the 
world.  In  all  these  instances,  the  fertility  of  the  mines  compen- 
sates for  every  disadvantage  of  situation.  But  this  principle  is 
not  alone  confined  to  mines  of  tin,  copper,  &c.;  it  even  holds  true 
of  the  heavy  and  bulky  articles  of  iron,  lead,  and  salt.  The  lead 
of  Missouri  finds  a  market  at  New  York,  Philadelphia,  and  Bos-  y 
ton,  and  will  be  carried  to  Europe.  It  is  no  objection  that  it 
must  be  conveyed  in  wagons  forty  miles  from  the  interior,  and 
sent  a  voyage  of  3,000  miles  in  steamboats  and  merchant  ships. 
The  great  fertility  of  the  mines  counterbalances  the  disadvantages 
of  its  remote  position  from  the  market,  and  it  is  the  price  of  the 
metal  in  the  market  which  always  regulates  its  price  at  the  mines. 
The  malleable  iron  of  Sweden  is  consumed  on  the  summits  of  the 
Alleghany,  although  its  strata  are  replete  with  iron  ore,  which  is 
worked  at  numerous  forges  along  the  rivers  which  proceed  from 
each  side  of  it.  It  is  believed  that  the  salt  springs  of  Onondaga, 
from  their  copiousness  alone,  would  supply  a  vast  portion  of  the 
interior  and  seaboard  of  the  United  States  with  salt,  even  if  the 
facilities  of  water  carriage  had  not  been  presented  by  the  Erie 
Canal.  The  value  of  such  mines  and  minerals  ever  depends  as 
much  upon  the  abundance  as  upon  the  favorable  position  of  them. 
It  is  far  otherwise  with  quarries  of  stone,  gypsum,  marl,  fossil 
coal,  &c.,  whose  contiguity  to  a  good  market  establishes  their 
value.  No  abundance  of  these  articles  would  justify  a  land  car- 
riage of  one  hundred  miles.  They  constitute  a  species  of  mining, 
24 


370  APPENDIX. 

the  profits  and  value  of  which  increases  in  the  ratio  of  the  sur- 
rounding population,  and  as  the  country  advances  in  improve- 
ments. But  this  advantage  is  far  less  sensibly  felt,  and  cannot 
be  considered  essential  to  the  successful  working  of  mines  of 
silver,  copper,  &c.  Neither  the  remote  position,  therefore,  of  the 
\.  Lake  Superior  copper  mines,  nor  the  want  of  a  surrounding  popu- 
lation, present  objections  of  that  force  whicb  would  at  first  seem 
to  exist;  and  it  is  confidently  believed  that,  if  their  fertility  is 
such  as  facts  indicate,  they  may  be  opened  and  wrought  with 
eminent  advantage  to  the  Eepublic.  But  let  ns  examine  their 
situation  with  respect  to  a  market,  and  compare  it  with  that  of 
other  mines  of  the  same  metal,  and  of  some  of  the  coarser  metals, 
which  bear  a  considerable  land,  and  the  most  distant  water  car- 
riage. To  favor  the  inquiry,  let  it  be  granted  for  the  moment 
that  proximity  of  situation  to  a  market,  or  free  water  carriage, 
are  indispensable  to  the  success  and  value  of  the  most  fertile 
mines. 

Assuming  the  confluence  of  the  Ontonagon  Eiver  with  Lake 
Superior  (whicb  is  apparently  the  centre  of  the  mine  district)  as 
the  place  where  the  metal  is  first  to  be  embarked  for  market,  it 
must  be  carried  down  the  lake  300  miles  to  the  Sault  or  rapids 
of  St.  Mary's.  Here,  if  it  is  in  barges,  it  may  descend  the  rapids 
in  perfect  safety,  as  is  the  invariable  practice  of  the  traders  on 
arriving  with  their  annual  returns  of  furs  and  skins  from  the 
north.  If  in  vessels,  it  must  be  transferred  either  into  boats  or 
carts,  and  carried  half  a  mile  to  the  foot  of  the  rapids,  where  it 
will  again  be  embarked  in  vessels,  and  transported  through  the 
Lakes  Huron,  St.  Clair,  and  Erie,  and  their  connecting  straits,  to 
Buffalo,  a  distance  of  650  miles.  The  progress  made  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  great  canal  which  is  to  connect  the  lakes  and 
Atlantic,  is  such  as  to  leave  no  doubt  upon  any  reasonable  mind 
of  the  full  completion  of  that  work  with  the  close  of  the  year 
1824.  Through  this  channel,  the  transportation  is  to  be  continued 
in  boats  or  barges,  by  a  voyage  of  353  miles,  to  the  Hudson  at 
Albany ;  thence  a  sloop  navigation  of  144  miles,  which,  for  speed 
and  freedom  from  risk,  is  perhaps  unequalled  in  all  America, 
takes  it  into  the  harbor  of  New  York,  making  the  entire  distance, 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Ontonagon,  1,447  miles.  From  New  York 
•^  it  is  distributed  to  our  naval  depots,  and  to  the  markets  of  Europe. 


APPENDIX.  371 

It  is  cxclianged  for  the  lead  of  Missouri,  the  iron  of  Sweden,  or 
the  silver  of  Mexico ;  and  the  same  ready  communication  trans- 
ports the  return  cargo  to  Buffalo,  from  whence  the  commerce  is 
extended,  by  means  of  the  lakes,  throughout  western  New  York, 
Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan,  and  the  inter- 
minable regions  of  the  north.  Thus  it  is  seen  that,  when  the  Erie 
Canal  is  completed,  a  free  and  direct  water  communication,  from 
the  mines  to  one  of  the  best  markets  in  America,  will  exist,  in 
which  the  rapids  of  St.  Mary's  are  the  only  interruption,  and  this 
is  only  an  interruption  to  large  vessels.  Not  only  so,  but  the 
Ontonagon  Eiver  may  be  ascended  many  miles  with  vessels  of 
light  burden,  and  thus  the  copper  of  Lake  Superior,  wafted  from 
the  heart  of  the  interior,  and  from  the  base  of  the  Porcupine 
Mountains,  into  the  harbors  of  New  York,  Philadelphia,  &c.  Of 
this  whole  distance,  1,047  miles  are  now  navigated  by  the  largest 
class  of  river  craft  and  lake  schooners;  the  balance  of  the  distance 
is  the  length  of  the  Erie  Canal.     (See  Note  D.) 

Let  it  be  recollected  that  there  are  no  mines  of  copper  situated 
upon  the  margin  of  the  sea,  and  that  every  quintal  of  sheet  cop- 
per, bolts,  nails,  &c.,  which  we  receive  from  Great  Britain,  Russia, 
Sweden,  or  Japan,  is  transported  a  greater  or  less  distance  on 
turnpikes  or  canals,  before  it  reaches  the  place  of  shipment.  The 
richest  copper  mines  of  the  Russian  empire  are  seated  on  the 
summits  of  the  Uralian  Mountains;  those  of  Fahlun,  in  Sweden, 
and  Cornwall,  in  England,  are  scarcely  more  favored  as  to  posi- 
tion ;  and,  owing  to  a  want  of  coal,  all  the  ores  raised  at  the  latter 
are  transported  into  "Wales  to  be  smelted.*  But  we  need  not 
resort  to  Europe  for  instances.  All  the  lead  raised  at  the  fertile 
mines  in  Missouri  is  transported  an  average  distance  of  forty 
miles  in  carts  and  wagons  before  it  reaches  the  banks  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi. Steamboats  take  it  to  New  Orleans,  a  distance,  by  the 
shortest  computation,  of  1,000  miles.  But  it  must  still  pass 
through  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  encounter  the  perils  of  the  Capes 
of  Florida,  and  a  voyage  of  2,000  miles  along  the  coast  of  the 
United  States,  before  it  reaches  its  principal  marts.  The  average 
cost  of  transporting  a  hundredweight  of  lead  from  Mine  au  Breton 
and  Potosi  to  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  during  the  year  1818, 

*  Silliman. 


y 


872  APPENDIX. 

was  seventy-five  cents.  The  distance  is  tliirty-six  miles.  The 
price  of  conveying  tlie  same  quantity  from  the  storehouses  at 
Herculaneum  and  St.  Genevieve  to  New  Orleans,  by  steamboats, 
was  seventy  cents.  The  distance  exceeds  1,000  miles.  Hence, 
it  costs  more  to  transport  a  given  quantity  thirty-six  miles  by 
land  than  to  convey  it  1,000  by  water.  These  rates  have  proba- 
bly varied  since,  but  the  proportionate  expense  of  land  carriage, 
compared  to  that  of  water,  will  remain  the  same.  A  quintal  of 
copper  may,  therefore,  be  transported  from  the  mines  of  Superior 
to  Buffalo  or  Lockport,  in  New  York,  for  the  same  sum  required 
to  convey  an  equal  quantity  of  lead  from  Potosi  to  St.  Genevieve. 
If  we  consider  the  city  of  New  York  as  the  market  of  both,  no 
hesitancy  or  doubt  can  be  experienced  as  to  the  decided  and  pal- 
pable advantages  possessed  by  the  northern  mines.  It  is  only 
necessary  to  adduce  these  facts;  the  conclusions  are  inevitable. 
In  every  point  of  view,  the  distance  of  these  mines  from  the  mar- 
jket  presents  no  solid  objection  to  their  being  explored  with  profit 
to  the  nation. 

Pig  copper,  which  is  the  least  valuable  form  in  which  this  metal 
is  carried  to  market,  is  now  quoted  in  the  Atlantic  cities  at  19 
cents  per  pound;  sheathing,  at  27;  brazier's,  at  32.  I  have  no 
data  at  hand  to  show  the  amount  of  these  articles  consumed  in 
the  United  States,  and  for  which  Ave  are  annually  transmitting 
immense  sums  to  enrich  foreign  States.  But  those  who  best  ap- 
preciate the  advantages  of  commerce  will  readily  supply  the  esti- 
mate. It  would  be  an  interesting  inquiry  to  ascertain  how  much 
of  the  sums  yearly  paid  for  sheathing  copper,  bolts,  nails,  en- 
gravers' plates,  &c.,  is  contributed  to  the  wealth  of  the  respective 
foreign  States  who  possess  mines  of  this  metal.  "We  can  look 
back  to  a  period  in  the  history  of  Great  Britain,  when  that  power 
did  not  contribute  one  pound  of  copper  to  the  commerce  of  Eu- 
rope. During  a  period  of  nine  years,  closing  with  the  memorable 
year  (in  American  history)  of  1775,  the  produce  of  the  copper 
mines  of  Cornwall  was  2,650  tons  of  fine  copper.  (See  Note  E.) 
Since  that  time,  the  yearly  returns  of  those  mines  exhibit  a  con- 
stant increase ;  and  the  copper  mines  of  Great  Britain  are  now 
the  most  valuable  in  the  world.  The  amount  produced  by  the 
mines  of  Cornwall  and  Devon,  after  deducting  the  charges  of 
smelting,  for  the  single  year  of  1810,  was  969,376  pounds  sterling. 


APPENDIX.  373 

(See  Note  F.)  The  clear  profits  of  the  Dolgoath  miuc,  one  of  the 
richest  in  Cornwall,  for  a  period  of  five  months,  during  the  year 
1805,  was  £18,000,  which  is  at  the  rate  of  £-±3,200,  or  $192,000, 
per  annum.  Next  to  Great  Britain,  the  most  considerable  mines 
of  Europe  are  those  of  Russia,  Austria,  Sweden,  and  Westphalia, 
as  it  was  in  1808.  Of  less  importance  are  those  of  Denmark, 
France,  Saxony,  Prussia,  and  Spain.  The  proportion  in  which 
the  British  mines  exceed  those  of  the  most  favored  European 
nation  is  as  200,000  X  67,000.  (See  Note  G.) 

There  is  another  consideration  connected  with  this  subject 
which  is  worthy  of  remark.  Should  it  be  inquired  what  would 
be  the  effects  of  the  purchase  of  these  mines  upon  the  condition 
of  the  Indian  tribes,  the  reply  is  obvious.  It  would  have  the 
most  beneficial  tendency.  They  would  not  only  profit  by  an  ex- 
change of  their  waste  lands  for  goods,  implements  of  husbandry, 
the  stipulated  services  of  blacksmiths,  teachers,  &e.,  but  the  inter- 
course would  have  a  happy  tendency  to  allay  those  bitter  feelings 
which,  through  the  instigation  of  the  British  authorities  in  the 
Canadas,  they  have  manifested,  and  still  continue  to  feel,  in  degree, 
towards  the  United  States.  The  measures  which  the  President 
has  recently  directed  to  be  pursued  to  assuage  these  feelings  of 
hostility,  and  to  induce  them  to  cherish  proper  sentiments  of 
friendship  and  respect,  are  already  in  a  train  of  execution  that 
bids  fair  for  success.  Continued  exertions,  and  the  necessary  and 
proper  means,  are  all  that  seem  necessary  to  confirm  and  com- 
plete the  effect ;  and  whatever  measures  have  a  tendency  to  in- 
crease the  intercourse  of  American  citizens  with  these  "remote 
tribes,"  and  to  give  them  a  true  conception  of  the  power  and  jus- 
tice, and  the  pacific  and  benevolent  policy  of  our  Government, 
must  favor  and  hasten  such  a  result. 
I  have  the  honor  to  be,  sir, 
With  the  highest  respect, 

Your  most  obedient  servant, 

HENEY  E.  SCHOOLCEAFT, 
U.  S.  Indian  Agent  at  the  Sault  Ste.  Marie. 
Hon  John  C.  Calhoun, 

Secretary  of  War,  Washington. 


874  APPENDIX. 


Notes. 


(B.) 

Among  tlie  numerous  superstitions  whicli  the  Indian  tribes 
entertain,  that  respecting  mines  is  not  the  least  remarkable.  They 
are  firmly  impressed  with  a  belief  that  any  information  commu- 
nicated to  the  whites,  disclosing  the  position  of  mines  or  metallic 
treasures  situated  upon  their  grounds,  is  displeasing  to  their 
manitos,  and  even  to  the  Great  Spirit  himself,  from  whom  they 
l^rofess  to  derive  every  good  and  valuable  gift;  and  that  this 
offence  never  fails  to  be  visited  upon  them  in  the  loss  of  property, 
in  the  want  of  success  in  their  customary  pursuits  or  pastimes, 
in  untimely  death,  or  some  other  singular  disaster  or  untoward 
event.  This  opinion,  although  certainly  not  a  strange  one  to  be 
cherished  by  a  barbarous  people,  is,  nevertheless,  believed  to  have 
had  its  origin  in  the  transactions  of  an  era  which  is  not  only  very 
well  defined,  but  must  ever  remain  conspicuous  in  the  history  of 
the  discovery  and  settlement  of  America.  It  is  very  well  known 
that  the  precious  metals  were  the  principal  objects  which  led  the 
Spanish  invaders  to  penetrate  into  the  interior  of  Mexico  and 
Peru,  and  ultimately  to  devastate  and  conquer  the  country,  to 
plunder  and  destroy  its  temples,  and  to  tax  and  enslave  its  ill- 
fated  inhabitants.  It  is  equally  certain  that,  to  escape  these  scenes 
of  cruelty  and  oppression,  many  tribes  and  fragments  of  tribes, 
when  further  resistance  became  hopeless,  fled  towards  the  north, 
preferring  the  enjoyment  of  liberty  and  tranquillity  upon  the  chilly 
borders  of  the  northern  lakes,  to  the  pains  of  servitude  in  the 
mild  and  delightful  valleys  of  Mexico,  and  the  golden  plains  of 
the  Incas.  In  this  way,  many  tribes  who  originally  migrated 
from  the  north,  along  the  Pacific  Ocean,  to  the  Gulf  of  California, 
and  thence  over  all  New  Spain,  were  returned  towards  the  north 
over  the  plains  of  Texas  and  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi ;  those 
tribes  nearest  the  scenes  of  the  greatest  atrocities  always  pressing 
upon  the  remoter  and  less  civilized,  who,  in  turn,  pressed  upon 
the  nations  less  enlightened  than  themselves,  and  finally  drove 
them  into  the  unfrequented  forests  of  the  north.  Among  these 
terrified  tribes,  the  traditions  of  the  Ojibwais  afl&rm  that  their 
ancestors  came,  and  that  they  originally  dwelt  in  a  country  des- 


APPENDIX.  375 

titute  of  snows.  Many  tribes  who  now  speak  idioms  of  their 
language  were  left  upon  the  way,  and  have  since  taken  distinctive 
names.  Among  these,  are  the  Pottawatamies,  the  Ottoways,  &c. 
The  latter  formerly  were,  as  they  still  remain,  the  agriculturists. 
The  Miamis  and  Shawnees,  whose  languages  bear  some  affinity, 
preceded  them  in  their  flight.  The  Winnebagoes,  speaking  a 
separate  and  original  tongue,  came  later,  and  preserve  more 
distinct  traditions  of  their  migration.  All  these  tribes  carried 
with  them  the  strong  prejudices  and  fixed  hatred  excited  by  the 
cruelty,  rapacity,  and  cupidity  of  their  European  conquerors ;  and, 
above  all,  of  that  insatiable  thirst  for  gold  and  silver  which  led  the 
Spaniards  to  sack  their  towns,  burn  their  temples,  and  torture 
their  people.  Cruelty  and  injustice  of  so  glaring  a  character  must 
have  made  upon  their  minds  too  deep  an  impression  ever  to  be 
forgotten,  or  completely  erased  from  their  traditions.  To  that 
memorable  epoch  we  must,  therefore,  look  for  the  origin  of  that 
cautious  and  distrustful  disposition  which  these  tribes  have  since 
manifested  with  regard  to  the  mines  and  minerals  situated  upon 
their  lands;  and  the  circumstance  seems  to  offer  an  abundant 
excuse,  if  not  a  justification,  for  those  prevarications  and  evasions 
which  present  a  continual  series  of  embarrassment  to  every  person 
who  seeks  through  their  aid  to  develop  the  mineral  resources,  or 
describe  the  natural  productions,  of  their  territories.  Hence,  too, 
the  cause  why  they  are  prone  to  imagine  that  all  mineral  or 
metallic  substances  obtained  or  sought  upon  their  lands,  are  sus- 
ceptible of  being  converted  or  transmuted'into  the  precious  metals. 

(C.) 

The  following  additional  localities  of  native  copper,  derived 
from  sources  entitled  to  respect,  and  accompanied,  in  some  in- 
stances, by  specimens  of  the  metal,  may  here  be  given : — 

1.  Grand  Menou,  or  Isle  Royal,  Lake  Superior.     Captain , 

of  the  schooner ,  in  the  employ  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany, on  Lake  Superior,  describes  this  island  as  affording  frequent 
masses  of  copper.  While  becalmed  off  its  shores  in  the  spring  of 
1822,  and,  afterwards,  in  coasting  along  the  island  for  a  distance 
of  one  hundred  miles,  his  men  frequently  went  ashore,  and  never 
failed  to  bring  back  with  them  lumps  of  metallic  copper,  which 
they  found  promiscuously  scattered  among  the  fragments  of  rock. 


o76  APPENDIX. 

These  were  more  abundant  in  approaching  its  southwestern  ex- 
tremity, where  they  unite  in  representing  it  to  exist  in  a  solid 
vein.  Specimens  of  limpid  quartz,  chalcedony,  and  striped  agate, 
were  also  brought  to  me  from  this  island.     [J.  S,  J.  J.] 

2.  On  the  extremity  of  the  great  peninsula,  called  by  the  na- 
tives Meenaiewong,  or  Keweena  Point,  which  forms  so  prominent 
a  feature  in  the  physiognomy  of  Lake  Superior.  It  occurs  in  the 
detached  form.     [J.  11.  J.  J.] 

3.  At  Point  aux  Beignes,  which  is  the  east  cape  of  the  entrance 
into  L'Ance  Quewiwenon.  A  mass  from  this  place  was  raised 
from  the  sandstone  rock,  which  predominates  there.     [J.  Y.  B.] 

4.  At  Caug  Wudjieu,  or  the  Porcupine  Mountains,  Lake  Su- 
perior ;  in  masses,  enveloped  with  a  green  crust,  along  the  banks 
of  the  Carp,  or  Neemaibee  River,  which  originates  in  these 
mountains.     [W.  M.  G.  Y.  J.  J.] 

5.  On  the  banks  of  Lac  Courterroile.  This  lake  lies  near  the 
source  of  the  River  Broule,  or  Cawesacotai,  which  enters  Lake 
Superior  near  La  Pointe.  It  occurs  in  the  alluvial  soil,  which  is 
a  kind  of  loamy  earth,  with  pebbles  intermixed,  but  of  a  rich 
quality,  and  timbered  with  beech  and  maple.  It  is  found  mostly 
in  small,  flat  masses,  more  or  less  oxidated.     [B.  Gr.  J.  G.  Y.] 

6.  In  a  vein  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Superior,  between  La  Riviere 
de  Mort  and  St.  John's,  a  little  to  the  west  of  Presque  Isle.    [J,  J.] 

7.  On  the  northeast  branch  of  the  Ontonagon  River.     [J.  H.] 

8.  In  the  precipitous  bluffs  called  Le  Portail,  and  the  Pictured 
Rocks.  A  green  matter  oozes  from  the  seams  in  these  rocks, 
and  forms  a  kind  of  stalactites,  which  is  apparently  a  carbonate 
of  copper.     [G.  Y.] 

These  localities  embrace  a  range  of  more  than  two  hundred 
miles  along  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Superior,  which  proves  how 
intimately  this  metal  and  its  ores  are  identified  with  the  rocks 
and  the  soil  of  that  region. 

(D.) 

In  all  our  calculations  respecting  the  position  and  advantages 
of  these  mines,  too  much  stress  cannot  be  laid  upon  the  facilities 
of  the  lake  navigation.  It  is  believed  that  a  ton  of  merchandise, 
or  a  barrel  bulk,  can  be  transported  through  the  lakes  at  the 
same  rates  that  are  paid  in  the  coasting  trade  of  the  United  States. 


APrENDix.  377 

Nor  is  the  risk  greater.  The  best  data  which  I  can  command, 
induce  me  to  conclude  that  a  quintal  of  copper  can  be  conveyed 
from  the  place  of  shipment  on  Lake  Superior,  to  the  city  of  New 
York,  for  one  dollar.  The  present  price  of  transportation,  for  a 
barrel  bulk,  from  Buffalo  to  Mackina,  may  be  stated,  on  the 
average  of  freights,  at  85.,  New  York.  The  mean  weight  of  a 
barrel  bulk,  taking  flour  as  the  standard,  may  be  safely  put  down 
at  200  lbs.  gross,  being  50  cents  per  cwt.  But  it  must  be  recol- 
lected that  there  is  no  return  freight ;  and,  consequently,  that  this 
sum  covers  the  expenses  not  only  of  the  outward  and  return 
voyage,  but  still  leaves  a  profit  to  the  owner.  Messrs.  Gray  and 
Griswold,  sutlers  of  the  2d  regiment,  paid  9s.  6cZ.,  New  York,  per 
barrel  bulk,  from  Buffalo  to  the  Sault.  This  gives  a  result  of  59 
cents  per  cwt.  But,  if  a  return  cargo  could  be  obtained,  one-half 
of  this  sum  would  afford  an  equal  profit  on  the  voyage;  and  it 
is  believed  that  the  article  of  bar  copper  could  at  all  times  be 
conveyed  from  the  Sault  to  Buffalo  for  20  cents  per  cwt.  Being 
a  very  convenient  species  of  ballast,  it  would  oftentimes  be  taken 
in  lieu  of  stone,  and,  consequently,  cost  no  greater  sum  than  the 
price  of  carrying  it  on  board.  But  the  facilities  and  cheapness 
of  the  lake  navigation  cannot,  perhaps,  be  better  illustrated  than 
by  stating  the  price  of  provisions  at  the  post  of  St.  Mary's,  every 
article  of  which  is  carried  from  300  to  700  miles  through  the 
lakes.  The  following  statement  of  the  assistant  commissary  has 
been  politely  furnished  at  my  request : — 

Sault  Ste.  Marie,  October,  1822. 

Dear  Sir:  Agreeably  to  your  request,  I  send  you  a  statement 
of  the  actual  cost  of  subsistence  stores  furnished  at  this  post  for 
the  use  of  troops  at  present  making  the  military  establishment, 
ordered  by  the  Government  to  this  place. 

The  prices  of  the  several  articles  below  enumerated  are  at  a 
small  advance  on  the  stores  of  the  settlers  outside  of  the  canton- 
ment. 

The  expenses  of  subsisting,  or  rather  of  maintaining,  a  garrison 
at  this  place  will  be  as  small,  if  not  less,  per  annum,  than  at  any 
other  frontier  post  in  our  country.  The  provisions  for  the  sol- 
dier cost  as  little,  I  believe,  as  at  any  other  post,  and  next  year 
we  shall  be  able  to  raise  all  the  forase  for  the  use  of  our  beef 


378 


APPENDIX, 


cattle,  and  the  horses  and  oxen  of  the  quartermaster's  depart- 
ment. 

I  am,  dear  sir,  yours,  &c., 

"W.  BICKEK, 

A.  a  S.  U.  S.  A. 

Statement  of  the  Cost  of  United  States  Snhsistence  Stores  at  the  Sault  de 

Ste.  Marie,  1822. 

Cents. 


Pork,  per  pound           .         .         .  "      . 

H 

Flour,  per  pound          .... 

l/o 

Whiskey,  per  gallon    .... 

29 

Fresh  beef,  per  pound 

H 

Vinegar,  per  gallon     .... 

22 

Salt,  per  bushel           .... 

90 

Soap,  per  pound           .... 

10 

Candles,  per  pound      .... 

20| 

Beans,  per  quart          .... 

4-  '? 

The  total  cost  of  a  soldier's  ration  is  9  cents  and  1  mill  per  diem. 

WALTER  BICKER, 

A.  a  S.  U.  S.  A. 
H.  R.  Schoolcraft,  Esq.,  U.  S.  I.  Agent. 


(E.) 

Statement  of  the  Returns  of  Copper  Ores  Smelted  at  the  Mines  of  Corn- 
wall {Eng.')  from  1726  to  1775. — {^Rees's  Cyclopedia.'] 


Periods. 

Tons  of  ore. 

Average  price 

Amount. 

Annual  qunntity 

per  ton. 

of  fine  copper. 

1726  to  1735 

64,800 

£7  15  10 

£473,500 

700  tons 

1736  to  1745 

75,520 

7     8     6 

560,106 

830    " 

1746  to  1755 

98,790 

7     8     0 

731,457 

1,080    " 

1756  to  1765 

169,699 

7     6     0 

1,243,045 

1,800    " 

1766  to  1775 

264,273 

6  14     6 

1,778,337 

2,650    " 

APPENDIX. 


379 


(F.) 

Stdieinent  of  the  Produce  of  ihe  Mines  of  Cornicall  and  Devon  (^Eng.^  for 
a  period  of  four  years,  ending  with  1811. 


Tons  of  ore. 

Fine  copper. 

Average 
standard 

Annual  amount 
after  deducting 

per  ton. 

charges  of  smelting. 

Tons.      cwt  qrr!. 

Tons.   cwt.  qrs.  lbs.              £ 

£             s. 

1  ona  f  Cornwall 
^''^^l  Devon 

73,434     2     1 
3,725     0    0 

7,118      5      1    17 

369  10     0     0 

1    107 

781,348     10 

|_  Devon 

72,038  12     2 
3,210     0     0 

6,972  17     0  17 
365     1     0     3 

|122 

875,784      2 

1810  (<^™^^^ 
(  and  Devon 

\ 

1 

80,238  14     3 

7,000  13     2     5 

141 

909,376     19 

^Q-.-,  r  Cornwall 
\  and  Devon 

} 

73,579     0     1 

6,272     0     2     2 

125 

769,379       4 

(G.) 

Table  of  the  Annual  Quantity  of  Copper  raised  from  the  Earth  in  Dif- 
ferent Countries,  in  Quintals — the  Quintal  valued  at  100  lbs. 


1.  England   ...... 

2.  Russia       ...... 

3.  Austria,  including  Bohemia,  Gallicia, 

Hungary,  Transylvania,  Styria,  Ca- 
rintliia,  Carniola,  Salzburg,  and 
Moravia 

Sweden     .... 

Westphalia,  in  1808 

States  of  Denmark   . 

Bavaria,  including  the  Tyrol 

8.  France      .... 

9.  Saxony,  in  1808 

10.  Prussia,  as  left  by  the  treaty  of  Tilsit 

11.  Spanish  European  mines 


200,000 
67,000 


60,000 

22,000 

17,229 

8,500 

3,000 

2,500 

1,320 

337 

309 


Total,  882,186 


(H.) 


I  shall  here  give  the  synonoma  for  this  tribe  of  Indians, 
which  appears  to  have  been  first  recognized  by  the  United  States 
as  an  independent  tribe  by  Wayne's  treaty  of  1795,*  under  the 


*  This  fact  is  not  stated  in  full  confidence.     I  cannot  refer  to  any  authorities  to 
prove  that  they  were  formally  recognized  by  the  United  States  before  this  very 


380  APPENDIX. 

name  of  Cliipewa.  This  name  lias  been  retained  in  all  subse- 
quent treaties  with  them,  not,  however,  without  some  discrepance 
in  the  orthography.  These  variations  are  chiefly  marked  by  the 
introduction  of  the  letter  p  at  the  beginning  of  the  second  sylla- 
ble, or  the  vowel  y  annexed  to  the  third ;  producing  Chip-j^e-wa, 
Chip-^je-wa?/,  and  Chip-e-way.  The  French  missionaries  and 
traders,  whose  policy  it  was  to  discard  the  names  of  the  aboriginal 
tribes  from  their  conversations,  bestowed  upon  this  tribe,  at  a 
very  early  period,  the  nora  de  guerre  of  Saulteurs,  or  Sauteurs,  from 
the  Sault  or  Falls  of  St.  Mary's,  which  was  the  ancient  seat  of 
this  tribe — a  name  which  is  still  retained  by  the  Canadians,  and 
by  many  of  the  American  traders.  Among  the  early  French 
writers,  they  were  also  sometimes  denominated  Ouichqjouas. 
There  is  as  little  uniformity  among  travellers  and  geographers. 
Pinkerton,  Darby,  Morse,  Carver,  Mackenzie,  and  Herriot,  either 
employ  the  word  according  to  the  orthography  of  Wayne's  treaty, 
or  with  the  modifications  above  noticed.  The  name  of  Chippe- 
wyans,  employed  by  Mackenzie,  relates  to  a  tribe  residing  north 
and  west  of  the  sources  of  the  Mississippi,  who  speak  a  language 
having  no  af&nity,  and  are  a  distinct  people.  Henry,  who  was 
well  versed  in  the  Chippewa  language,  also  conforms  to  the 
popular  usage,  but  observes  that  the  true  name,  as  pronounced 
by  themselves,  is  Ojibwa. 

Having  taken  pains  to  ascertain  and  fix  the  pronunciation  of 
this  word,  I  have  not  hesitated  to  introduce  it  into  my  corre- 
spondence and  official  accounts;  but  I  am  aware  of  my  great 
temerity  in  so  doing.  Popular  prejudices,  and  several  of  the 
authorities  above  cited,  stand  opposed  to  the  proposed  innovation. 
The  continued  use  of  the  word  "  Chippewa"  is  also  sanctioned  by 
a  name  entitled  to  conclusive  respect.  "I  write  the  word  in  this 
way,"  observes  the  Executive  of  Michigan,  "because  I  am  appre- 
hensive the  orthography  is  inveterately  fixed,  and  not  because  I 
suppose  it  is  correct."  Still,  there  are  reasons  for  changing  it. 
Justice  to  this  unfortunate  race  requires  it.     Since  the  popular 

recent  period.  By  the  French  and  British  govei-nments  thej-  ivere  known  soon  after 
the  first  settlements  at  Quebec  and  Albany  (a.  d.  1608,  1614),  and  subsequently 
treated  with.  A  band  of  warriors  from  Chegoimegon,  on  Lake  Superior,  under  the 
command  of  Waub  Ojeag,  or  the  AVhite  Fisher,  was  present  at  the  taking  of  Fort 
Niagara  by  Sir  W.  Johnston  in  1759. 


APPENDIX.  881 

apatli}^  to  their  condition  is  such  tliat  every  remembrance  of  their 
actual  customs,  manners,  and  traditions  will  probably  perish  with 
them,  and  their  name^  ere  long,  be  all  that  is  left,  it  is  at  least  in- 
cumbent upon  us  to  transmit  iluit  to  posterity  in  its  true  sound — 
as  the  fathers  and  sachems  pronounced  it.  If,  then,  there  is  an 
acknowledged  error  in  this  respect,  shall  we  hesitate  to  correct  it? 


IX. 

Rapid  Glances  at  the  Geology  of  Western  New  York,  ivest  of  tlie 
Rome  Summit,  in  1820.* 

EocK  Formations. — 1.  Assuming  the  area  of  the  most  east- 
wardly  head  of  the  Onondaga  Valley,  the  Wood  Creek,  and  the 
Rome  Summit,  and  the  valley  of  the  Niagara,  with  an  indefinite 
extent  laterally,  to  form  the  limits  of  this  inquiry;  it  is  in  coin- 
cidence with  all  known  facts  to  say  that  it  is  a  secondary  region, 
consisting  of  the  sedimentary  and  semi-crystalline  strata,  the  lines 
of  which  are  perfectly  horizontal.  Colored  sandstone,  generally 
red,  forms  the  lowest  observed  stratum. 

Wherever  streams  have  worn  deep  channels,  they  either  dis- 
close this  rock  or  its  adjuncts,  the  grits,  or  silicious  sinter.  It  is 
apparent  in  the  chasm  at  Niagara  Falls,  about  half  a  mile  below 

■^■-  At  the  time  these  sketches  were  -written,  no  geological  observations  had  been 
made  on  this  field,  which  has,  at  subsequent  periods,  been  so  elaborately  described ; 
nor  had  the  topic  itself  attracted  much  attention.  I  landed  at  New  York,  in  the 
ship  Arethusa,  from  New  Orleans,  in  the  summer  of  1819,  and  published,  in  that  city, 
in  the  fall  of  that  year,  an  account  of  the  lead-bearing  roeks  of  Missouri,  and  their 
supporting  white  sandstones,  which  rest,  in  horizontal  deposits,  on  the  primitive 
formation  of  the  St.  Francis ;  bringing,  at  the  same  time,  a  rich  collection  of  the 
mineralogy  of  that  region,  which  soon  became  known  in  private  cabinets.  This 
became  the  cause  of  my  employment,  by  the  United  States  Government,  to  visit  the 
alleged  copper  mines  on  Lake  Superior,  as  a  member  of  the  expedition  to  the 
sources  of  the  Mississippi.  I  left  Oneida  County,  in  the  district  remarked  on,  on 
the  10th  of  April  of  that  year,  and  reached  the  banks  of  the  Niagara  Kiver  on  the 
29th  of  that  month.  On  returning  from  the  sources  of  the  Mississippi,  I  entered 
the  same  region  on  the  17th  of  October,  and  reached  Oneida  on  the  21st  of  the  same 
month.  Prior  to  my  visit  to  the  Great  West,  I  had  dwelt  some  three  years— 
namely,  1809,  '10,  '11,  '12— in  Oneida  and  Ontario  counties.  These  were  the  op- 
portunities enjoyed,  up  to  the  period,  for  acquiring  a  knowledge  of  the  geography 
and  geology  of  the  country.  Mr.  A.  Eatou's  Index  to  Geology,  published  early  in 
1820,  embraces  nothing  extending  to  western  New  York. 


382  A.PPENDIX. 

the  cataract.  It  is  often  seen  on  the  surface  of  the  country,  or 
buried  slightly  beneath  the  soil.  In  color,  hardness,  and  other 
characters,  there  is  a  manifest  variety.  But,  considered  as  a 
"formation,"  no  doubt  can  exist  of  its  unity.  Its  thickness  can 
only  be  conjectured,  as  no  labor  has,  so  far  as  we  know,  pene- 
trated through  it. 

Judging  from  observations  made  in  Cattaraugus  County,  in 
1818,  the  coal  measures  have  been  completely  swept  from  this  area. 

2.  Next  in  point  of  altitude,  is  the  series  of  dark,  carbonaceous, 
shelly  slate  rock.  The  thickness  of  this  formation,  as  indicated 
at  Niagara,  cannot  be  less  than  ninety  feet.  It  is  also  often  a 
surface-rock  in  the  district,  forming  portions  of  the  banks  of  lakes, 
streams,  &c.  It  is  characterized  by  organic  remains  of  nascent 
species.  Portions  of  it  also  disclose  rounded  masses  of  pre-exist- 
ing rocks. 

3.  Last  in  the  order  of  superposition,  is  the  secondary  limestone 
formation.  It  is,  most  commonly,  of  a  dark,  sedimentary  aspect. 
It  is  not  invariably  so,  but  portions  of  it  have  a  shining,  semi- 
crystalline  fracture.  Shades  of  color  also  vary  considerably,  but 
it  never,  in  the  scale  of  colors,  exceeds  a  whitish-gray.  Viewed 
at  different  localities,  the  mass  is  either  compact,  fetid,  shelly,  or 
silicious.  Much  of  it  produces  good  quicklime.  It  is  often  ren- 
dered "bastard,"  as  the  phrase  is,  by  argillaceous  and  earthy  im- 
purities. Organic  impressions,  and  remains  of  sea  shells  and 
coarse  corals  are  frequent.  Encrinites  give  some  portions  of  it 
the  appearance  of  eyed  or  dotted  secondary  marble.  The  occur- 
rence of  a  hard  variety  of  hornstone,  which  is  not  flint,  is  appa- 
rently confined  to  the  compact,  fetid  variety.  This  formation, 
like  the  two  preceding,  may  be  found  to  consist  of  separate  strata. 
Localities,  joinings,  overlayings,  substrata,  mineral  contents,  or- 
ganic species,  &c.,  require  observation.  The  following  notices  are 
added. 

.  Geological  Changes. — The  evidences  which  are  furnished  of 
ancient  submersion,  which  has  "changed  and  overturned"  vast 
portions  of  the  solid  land,  are  neither  few  nor  equivocal.  They 
are  seen  as  well  in  the  rock  strata  as  the  alluvial  soils.  The  most 
elevated  hills  and  the  lowest  valleys  are  equally  productive  of  the 
evidences  of  extensive  changes.  The  whole  aspect  of  the  country 
seems  to  attest  to  the  ancient  dominion  of  water.     But  the  most 


APPENDIX.  383 

striking  proof  of  its  agency  is,  perhaps,  found  in  the  sea-shells, 
polypi,  and  Crustacea,  which  are  preserved,  in  their  outlines,  in 
solid  strata.  Some  of  these  are  most  vivid  in  their  shapes  and 
ray-like  markings,  particularly  the  univalve  shells. 

A  subsequent  change,  in  the  surface  of  the  country,  is  indicated 
by  the  marks  of  attrition  and  watery  action  upon  the  faces  of  these 
rocks,  in  situations  greatly  elevated  above  the  present  water-levels. 
This  action  must,  consequently,  be  referred^  to  a  period  when  ex- 
tensive submersions,  in  the  nature  of  lakes  or  semi-seas,  existed ; 
for  there  is  no  power  in  present  lakes  and  streams,  however 
swelled  and  reinforced  by  rains  or  melting  snows,  to  reach  even 
a  moiety  of  the  elevation  of  these  ancient  water-marks.  It  is  to 
the  era  of  these  last  submersions  that  we  are  encouraged,  by  evi- 
dences, to  look,  as  the  disturbing  cause  which  has  buried  trees, 
leaves,  and  bones  in  alluvial  soils. 

Action  of  Water. — In  examining  some  portions  of  the  flat 
lands  of  Ontario  County,  such  as  the  township  of  Phelps,  there 
are  strata  of  a  fine  sedimentary  soil,  such  as  might  be  expected 
to  result  from  the  settlings  of  water  not  greatly  agitated.  The 
bottoms  of  mill-ponds  afford  an  analogous  species  of  soil.  In 
these  level  districts,  there  are  also  not  unfrequently  observed 
fields  of  bare  flat  rock,  of  the  limestone  species,  which  is  checkered 
in  its  surface,  conveying  the  idea  of  their  having  formed  a  flooring 
to  some  former  lake.  An  appearance  of  this  kind  may  be  seen 
a  few  hundred  yards  from  the  meeting-house  in  Phelps.  The 
rock,  in  this  instance,  is  a  carbonate  of  lime,  and  affords  organic 
remains. 

The  Oak  Openings,  in  Erie  County,  are  a  kind  of  natural  mea- 
dows or  prairies.  Many  suppose  them  to  have  been  ancient 
clearings;  but  of  this  the  Indians  have  no  tradition,  and  the  evi- 
dences of  such  a  settlement  are  by  no  means  satisfactory.  In 
many  places,  on  these  extensive  openings,  there  are  naked  and  bar- 
ren layers  of  calcareous  rock,  whose  surface  exhibits  appearances 
analogous  to  those  in  Ontario.  The  limestone  is,  however,  of  a 
darker  color,  and  contains  numerous  imbedded  nodules  of  horn- 
stone,  and  it  emits  a  fetid  odor  on  breaking. 

In  crossino;  the  elevated  calcareous  hiohlands,  between  Danville 
and  Arkport,  in  Steuben  County,  we  perceive  in  the  bluff  rocks 
which  bound  the  valley  of  the  Conestoga  River,  at  an  elevation  of 


384  APPENDIX. 

perhaps  two  hundred  feet  above  its  bed,  horizontal  water-marks, 
deeply  impressed  upon  the  face  of  the  rocks,  as  if  the  waters  had 
formerly  stood  at  that  level ;  and  it  is  impossible  to  resist  the  con- 
viction, in  travelling  over  this  rugged  district  of  country,  that 
it  has  not  been  totally  submerged  by  waters,  which  have  been 
suddenly  drawn  off,  but  by  gradual  or  periodical  exhaustions, 
standing  for  many  ages  at  different  levels. 

Slate  Eocks. — These  were,  not  inaptly,  denominated  "brittle 
slate,"  by  Dr.  Mitchell,  in  1809.  Brittleness  is  their  pervading 
character;  and  it  is  owing  to  this  quality,  in  a  formation  of  great 
thickness,  that  the  action  of  the  water  at  Niagara  Falls  is  of  so 
very  striking  a  character.  There  is  no  portion  of  the  Niagara 
slate  solid  enough  to  be  used  for  building  stone.  It  is  uniformly 
shelly,  and  exhibits,  even  in  hand  specimens,  its  reproduced  cha- 
racter.* Those  portions  of  the  general  formation  which  are  solid 
constitute  silicious  slate.  A  locality  of  this  variety  may  be  seen 
at  the  Halfway  House,  eight  miles  east  of  Canandaigua. 

Seneca  Lake. — This  clear  and  picturesque  lake  has  its  bed  in 
the  secondary  formations,  and  may  be  referred  to  as  exhibiting 
localities  of  them.  Its  upper  parts  afford  the  compact  limestone 
in  quadrangular  blocks.  Large  portions  of  its  margin  consist, 
of  the  brittle  carbonaceous  slate.  The  shores,  from  the  vicinity 
of  Rose's  Farm  to  Appletown,  are  little  else  but  a  continuous  bank 
of  the  slate.  On  the  opposite  coast,  it  is  also  visible  at  various 
localities  below  the  Crooked  Lake  inlet.  Cashong  Creek  may  be 
particularly  referred  to.  A  short  ascent  of  its  valley  brings  the 
spectator  into  a  scene  where  the  walled  masses  of  slaty  rock  as- 
sume a  character  of  grandeur.  Among  the  recent  portions  which 
have  been  thrown  into  the  valley,  may  be  seen  masses  having 
large  species  of  the  stem-like  organic  remains,  which  indicate  its 
newness  as  a  formation.  Here  are  also  disclosed  orbicular  masses, 
and  pebbles  of  other  rocks,  imbedded  in  the  slate.  These  prove 
it  to  be — what  its  texture  would,  in  other  places,  indicate — a  se- 
condary slate. 

The  order  of  position  on  the  banks  of  this  lake  is  the  same  as 
at  Niagara ;  but  the  sandstone  is  not  apparent  above  the  water 
line.     Its  existence,  in  the  bed  of  the  lake,  may  be  satisfactorily 

■*  Appropriately  pronounced  a  "secondary  graywacke  slate,"  by  JMr.  Eaton. 


APPENDIX.  385 

inferred,  from  the  masses  of  yellow  coarse  sand  which  are  driven 
up  at  the  foot  of  the  lake,  and  particularly  around  its  outlet. 
When  the  winds  prevail,  the  water  is  driven  violently  against 
this  part  of  the  shore.  As  it  is  an  alluvial  flat,  they  soon  sur- 
mount the  stated  margin,  and  produce  a  partial  inundation.  On 
■their  recession,  wreathes  of  sand  remain. 

Diluvial  Elevations. — Bounding  the  alluvial  plain  of  the 
Seneca  outlet  westward,  there  is  a  series  of  remarkable  wave-like 
ridges,  whose  direction  is  parallel  to  that  of  the  lake.  On  the 
declivity-stop  of  the  first  of  these  ridges,  stands  the  village  of 
Geneva,  the  buildings  of  which  are  thus  displayed  in  an  amphi- 
theatric  manner  above  the  clear  expanse  of  the  lake.  The  sub- 
stratum of  these  ridges  is  an  argillaceous,  compact  soil  of  the 
eldest  formation.  Some  parts  of  it  are  a  stiff  clay,  and  yield  sep- 
taria;  but  there  is  no  considerable  portion  of  it,  which  has  been 
examined,  wholly  destitute  of  primitive  boulders  and  pebbles. 
Little  doubt  can  remain  but  that  it  is  the  result  of  the  broken- 
down  slaty  rock  mixed  with  the  extraneous  and  far-fetched  primi- 
tive masses.  They  are  conclusive  of  its  diluvial  character.  I 
have  attentively  examined  this  formation,  in  the  section  of  it  ex- 
posed on  the  shores  of  the  lake  between  the  village  of  Geneva  and 
Two-mile  Point.  All  its  solid,  stony  contents  are  piled  along 
the  margin  of  the  lake,  the  soil  being  completely  washed  away. 
Granite,  quartz,  and  trap  pebble-stones  and  boulders,  are  here 
promiscuously  strewn  with  recent  debris.  Over  the  argillaceous 
deposit  is  spread  a  mantle  of  newer  soil,  of  unequal  depth  and 
character,  which  forms,  exclusively,  the  theatre  of  farming  and 
horticultural  labors. 

White  Springs. — On  the  declivity  of  one  of  these  parallel 
ridges,  at  the  distance  of  two  miles  from  the  lake,  is  found  an  ex- 
tensive bed  of  white  marl.  This  deposit,  which  is  on  the  estate  of 
the  late  Judge  Nicholas,  covers  many  acres,  and  yields  so  copious 
a  spring  of  pure  water  that  it  is  sufficient,  at  the  distance  of  about 
three  hundred  3^ards  from  its  issue,  to  turn  a  gristmill.  There 
are  to  be  found  in  this  bed  of  marl  several  species  of  helix  and 
voluta.  The  marl  is  generally  covered  with  an  alluvial  deposit 
of  two  feet  in  depth.  The  depth  of  the  marl  itself  is  unexplored. 
Is  not  this  marl  the  result  oC  decomposed  sea  shells? 
25 


S86  APPENDIX. 

Beds  of  Quartzose  Sand. — In  certain  parts  of  tlie  Seneca 
Yalley  are  found  limited  deposits  of  a  white  quartzose  sand,  in  a 
state  of  comparative  purity.  This  substance  is  capable  of  being 
readily  vitrified  by  the  addition  of  alkaline  fluxes,  and  is  thus 
converted  into  glass.  Its  existence,  as  a  local  deposit,  beneath 
separate  strata  of  alluvial  soil,  supporting  a  growth  of  trees  and 
shrubs,  is  such  as  to  render  it  probable  that  the  present  stream, 
in  its  exhausted  state,  could  have  had  no  agency  in  producing 
these  deposits.  If  we  are  compelled  to  look  to  a  former  condition 
of  the  waters  passing  off  through  this  valley,  as  affording  the  re- 
quisite pov/er  of  deposit,  we  are  then  carried  back  to  an  era  in 
the  geology  of  the  country  v/hich  we  must  refer  to,  to  account 
for  by  far  the  greater  number  of  changes  in  all  its  recent  soils. 
Indeed,  wherever  we  examine  these  soils,  out  of  the  range  com- 
prehended between  high  and  low-water  mark,  on  any  existing 
lake  or  stream,  there  will  be  found  occasion  to  resort  to  the  agency 
of  more  general  and  anterior  submersions.  A  few  localities  may 
be  appealed  to. 

Fossil  AVood. — In  digging  a  well  in  the  Genesee  Valley,  one 
mile  east  of  the  river  (at  Hosmer's),  part  of  the  trunk  of  a  tree,  of 
mature  growth,  was  found  at  the  depth  of  forty-one  feet  below 
the  surface.  The  soil  was  a  loose  sand  mixed  with  gravel.  The 
position  is  more  elevated  than  the  flats,  so  called. 

Antlers. — A  large  pair  of  elk's  horns  were  discovered  in  an 
excavation  made  for  the  foundation  of  a  mill  at  Clyde,  in  Seneca 
County,  They  were  imbedded  in  alluvial  soil,  ten  feet  below  the 
surface.  This  surface  had  been  cleared  of  elm  and  other  forest 
trees  of  mature  growth.  Near  the  same  place,  logs  of  wood  were 
found  at  the  depth  of  fourteen  feet.  These  discoveries  were  made 
in  the  valley  of  Clyde  River,  which  is  formed  by  the  junction  of 
the  Canandaigua  Outlet  Avith  Mud  Creek. 
\  -  Frogs  inclosed  in  the  Geological  Column. — At  Carthage, 
on  the  Genesee,  twelve  or  fifteen  frogs  were  found  in  excavating 
a  layer  of  compact  clay  marl,  about  nine  feet  below  the  surface. 
The  position  is  several  hundred  feet  above  the  bed  of  the  Genesee 
River,  to  which  elevation  no  one,  after  viewing  the  spot,  will 
deem  it  probable  its  waters  could  have  reached,  this  side  of  the 
diluvian  era. 

A  frog  was  dug  out  of  the  solid  rock,  at  Lockport,  Niagara 


APPENDIX.  387 

County,  by  the  workmen  engaged  in  excavating  tlic  canal.  It 
was  enveloped  by  the  limestone  which  abounds  in  cavities  filled 
with  crystals  of  strontian  and  dog-tooth  spar.  It  came  to  life  for 
a  few  moments,  and  then  expired.  There  was  no  aperture  by 
which  it  could  possibly  communicate  with  the  atmospheric  air. 
The  cavity  was  only  large  enough  to  retain  it,  without  allowing 
room  for  motion.    C-^' 

The  inclosure  of  animals  of  the  inferior  classes  in  the  sediment- 
ary strata,  and  even  in  the  most  solid  substance  of  rock,  is  a  fact 
which  has  been  frequently  noticed,  without,  however,  any  very 
satisfactory  theory  having  been  given  of  the  process,  at  least  to 
common  apprehension.  Vide  Addenda,  for  some  further  notices 
of  this  kind. 

Fossil  Yegetatiox. — A. well  was  dug  in  the  lower  part  of  the 
village  of  Geneva,  in  1820,  which  disclosed,  at  the  depth  of  thirteen 
feet,  the  branches  and  buds  of  a  cedar-tree.  They  were  found 
lying  across  the  excavation,  and  in  the  sides  of  it;  and  were  in 
excellent  preservation.  No  one  could  conjecture  in  what  age 
they  had  been  buried.  But  this  discovery  would  seem  to  esta- 
blish the  position  that  the  catastrophe  occurred  in  the  spring. 

Madrepores. — A  madrepore,  measuring  eight  inches  in  diame- 
ter, was  found  in  the  upland  soil  of  Caledonia,  Genesee  County. 
Smaller  specimens  of  the  same  species  occur  in  that  township. 
Madrepores  of  a  large  size  have  also  been  found  imbedded  in  the 
soil,  or  lying  on  the  surface,  in  various  places  in  Cattaraugus  and 
Alleghany  counties.  They  are  locally  denominated  petrified 
wasps'  nests.  The  lands  containing  these  loose  fossil  remains  are 
contiguous  to,  or  based  on,  secondary  rocks  at  considerable  ele- 
vations. 

Boulders  and  Primitive  Gravel. — But  the  most  abundant 
evidences  of  diluvial  action  are  furnished  by  the  masses  of  foreign 
crystalline  rocks  which  are  scattered,  in  blocks  of  various  sizes, 
on  the  surface  of  the  soil,  or  imbedded  at  all  depths  within  it. 
Primitive  rocks  are  foreign  to  the  district,  and  these  masses  could 
not,  therefore,  have  resulted  from  local  disintegration.  They 
must  have  been  transported  from  a  distance.  They  required  not 
only  an  adequate  cause  for  their  removal,  but  one  commensurate 
with  the  effects.  Such  a  cause  Cuvier  supposes,  in  discussing 
the  general  question,  may  have  existed  in  eruptions,  or  in  the 


388  APPENDIX. 

action  of  oceanic  masses  of  water,  operating  at  an  ancient 
period. 

The  latter  opinion  appears  to  be  generally  adopted.  Dr. 
Mitchell,  in  reference  to  northwestern  boulders,  attributes  their 
distribution  over  secondary  regions  to  the  draining  of  interior  seas 
or  lakes.  Mr.  Hayden,  in  his  Geological  Essays^  refers  them  to 
the  action  of  oceanic  currents  setting  "from  north  and  east  to 
south  and  west," 

Subordinate  and  Equivalent  Strata. — These  constitute 
the  most  intricate  subjects  of  reference.  They  are  either  adjuncts 
or  residuary  deposits  of  leading  formations.  But  their  order,  as 
accompanying  series,  must  sometimes  be  sought  for  by  a  previous 
determination  of  the  formations  themselves.  Could  we  certainly 
know,  for  instance,  that  the  sandstone  of  "Western  New  York  is 
or  is  not  the  true  coal-sandstone,  or  the  limestone  is  or  is  not  the 
carboniferous  limestone,  it  would  at  once  direct  to  positive  eras, 
and  serve  to  impart  confidence  in  the  prediction  of  unknown 
deposits  of  an  important  character.  But,  in  order  to  fix  the 
formations,  it  is  often  the  safest  mode  of  procedure  to  employ  the 
subordinate  and  local  deposits  as  evidences  of  the  character  of  the 
formations  embracing  them. 

Gypsum. — A  stratum  of  gypsum  of  the  plaster  of  Paris  kind — 
that  is,  consisting  of  an  admixture  of  the  carbonate  with  the  sul- 
phate of  lime — occurs  on  the  banks  of  the  Canandaigua  outlet. 
It  has  been  chiefly  explored  in  the  township  of  Phelps,  Ontario. 
In  visiting  the  principal  bed  (1820),  I  found  the  following  order 
of  deposits  composing  the  banks  of  the  outlet : — 

1.  Alluvial  soil  of  a  dark,  arenaceous,  and  mellow  character, 
having  small  stones  of  the  primitive  kind  sparingly  interspersed, 

,  two  and  a  half  to  three  feet.     Cultivated  in  improved  farms. 

2.  Shelly  limestone,  of  an  earthy,  dull-gray  color  and  loose  tex- 
ture, in  layers,  three  feet. 

3.  Limestone  of  a  more  firm  character,  but  still  shelly,  or  rather 
slaty,  fissile,  and  easily  quarried,  six  feet.  This  stratum  contains 
iron  pyrites  in  a  decomposed  state.  Also,  nodular  or  kidney- 
shaped  masses  of  what  the  quarrymen  call  plaster-eggs — apparently 
snowy  gypsum. 

4.  Plaster  of  Paris,  ten  feet.  This  stratum  yields  granular, 
earthy,  fibrous,  and  foliated  gypsum.     It  is  the  first  two  varieties 


APPENDIX.  389 

wbich  are  quarried.  In  some  places,  the  mass  is  firm  enough  to 
admit  of  blasting.  In  others,  it  is  loose  and  veiny,  and  is  readily 
broken  up  with  iron  bars  and  sledges.  Portions  of  it  appear  to 
consist  of  a  shelly  limestone  identical  with  No.  2.  They  are  re- 
jected in  quarrying. 

o.  Limestone  similar  to  No.  3,  four  feet. 

At  this  depth  it  is  covered  by  the  waters  of  the  outlet.  How 
deep  it  extends  is  uncertain.  The  rapids  at  the  village  of  Vienna 
are  caused  by  shelving  strata  of  this  limestone. 

There  is  a  suite  character  in  these  strata  which  appears  to  con- 
stitute them  a  single  deposit.  The  plaster-bed  at  Canasaraga 
exists  in  a  ledge  more  elevated  in  reference  to  the  local  stream, 
and  presents  a  broader  section  of  the  limestone.  The  shades  of 
difference  which  are  observable  in  its  color  and  texture,  do  not 
appear  to  indicate  a  difference  of  geological  era.  Nor  do  appear- 
ances denote,  for  the  calcareous  formation  which  embraces  these 
beds,  much  antiquity  in  the  scale  of  secondary  rocks. 

Saliferous  Red  Clay-marl. — Examinations,  at  various  points, 
render  it  a  probable  supposition  that  the  red  clay-marl  of  western 
New  York  is  the  equivalent  for  the  new  red  sandstone,  in  posi- 
tions where  the  latter  is — as  it  often  is — wanting.  It  is  exten- 
sively deposited  in  the  upland  soils,  in  the  range  of  the  salt  rock 
and  gypsum  counties,  from  the  summit  grounds  of  Oneida  County 
west.  It  may  be  seen  in  various  stages  of  the  decomposition.  I 
have  more  attentively  examined  it  on  the  upper  parts  of  the 
Scanado*  and  Oneida  creeks.  Large  areas  of  it  exist  in  West- 
moreland, Verona,  and  Vernon  townships,  and  bordering  the 
valley  grounds  of  the  Oneida  reservation,  and  the  northerly  por- 
tions of  Sullivan  County.  The  existence  of  salt  water  might, 
apparently,  be  searched  for  with  as  much  probability  of  success, 
in  the  district  thus  indicated,  as  at  more  westerly  points. 

CoAL-FoRMATiox. — With  a  strong  predisposition  to  regard  our 
leading  sandstone  and  limestone  surface-formations  as  members 
of  the  "independent"  or  true  coal- formation,  inquiry  has  led  me 
to  relinquish  the  impression  that  they  will,  to  any  great  degree, 
be  found  to  yield  this  mineral.  If  the  sandstone  is — as  facts  indi- 
cate it  to  be — the  new  red  or  saliferous  sandstone,  it  may  be  ex- 

*  Usually  written  Skenanodoah,  but  pronounced  as  above. 


390  APPENDIX. 

pected  to  yield  thin  seams  of  coal,  in  distant  places,  l)ut  no  deposit 
of  this  mineral  which  will  reward  exploration  in  this  or  its  super- 
incumbent series  of  rocks,  the  slates,  limestones,  &;c.  It  will  re- 
sult, that  the  coal-measures,  properly  so  denominated,  are  a  prior 
deposit  in  the  order  of  series ;  and,  should  they  hereafter  be  found, 
such  a  discovery  must  take  place  above  the  range  of  the  sand- 
stone, which  is  the  basis  rock  at  Niagara  and  Genesee  Falls. 

Having  premised  the  character  of  the  sandstone,  all  the  series 
occupying  a  position  above  it  must  derive  their  character,  as 
secondary  deposits,  from  this.  The  limestone  cannot,  therefore, 
be  a  part  of  the  carboniferous  or  "  medial."  The  slates,  as  shown 
at  Cashong,  are  fragmentary,  and  rather  nearer  slaty  grau- 
waks.  The  arenaceous  and  calcareous  upper  deposits  assume 
nearly  the  position  of  the  oolitic  series,  and,  in  fact,  ought,  in 
some  localities,  to  be  regarded  as  equivalents. 

"Westerx  Coal-Mines. — Much  of  the  data  employed  in  these 
inquiries  is  the  result  of  previous  examinations  of  the  great  coal 
deposits  in  the  Ohio  Valley,  and  other  parts  of  the  western  country. 
Here  we  have  the  coal-sandstone  and  the  slate  clay,  with  slate, 
&c.,  alternating  with  the  coal-measures.  Such  is  the  order  of 
deposits  at  the  junction  of  the  Alleghany  and  Monongahela,  where 
the  formation  is  well  developed,  and  where  there  exists,  too,  in 
the  elevated  valley  hills,  several  repetitions  of  the  series.  The 
zechstone,  or  compact  limestone,  which  is  a  pervading  rock  in 
the  Mississippi  Yalley,  occupies  a  position  next  above  the  great 
Mississippi  sandstone.*  It  may  always  be  distinguished  from  the 
shelly,  entrochal  limestone  of  the  Genesee,t  by  the  absence  of 
gypsum  and  of  the  fetid  odor  emitted  on  fracture. 

Alleghany  Yalley. — A  question  of  interest,  in  connection 
with  the  extent  of  the  Ohio  Yalley  coal-formation,  arises  from 
the  attempt  to  fix  the  point  to  which  this  formation  ascends  the 
Alleghany  Yalley — being  the  direct  avenue  into  Western  New 
York.  I  have  examined  this  valley  in  its  entire  length  between 
Pittsburg  and  Olean,  in  Cattaraugus  County,  and  have  not  been 
able  to  observe  that  there  are  any  evidences  of  its  termination 

*  This  formation  cannot  be  called  "red  sandstone,"  from  its  being  generally 
white  or  gray,  but  appears  to  occupy  the  position  of  the  "horizontal  red  sandstone" 
among  European  rocks. 

•}■  The  cornutiferous  limerock  of  Mr.  Eaton. 


APPENDIX.  391 

below  the  latter  point.  The  general  order  and  parallelisnn  of 
strata  remain  the  same.  The  coal  stratum  is  apparently  present. 
The  qualities  of  the  coal  at  Armstrong,  and  at  various  points 
below  French  Creek — the  first  primary  fork  of  the  river — are 
not  distinguishable  from  the  products  of  the  Pittsburg  galleries. 
Less  search  has  been  made  above  that  point,  but  wherever  the 
hills  have  been  penetrated,  they  have — as  at  Brokenstraw — pro- 
duced the  bituminous  coal.  Above  the  Conawango  Valley,  which 
brings  in  the  redundant  waters  of  Chatauque  Lake,  the  Alleghany 
discloses  frequent  rapids.  The  effect  of  parallelism  upon  the 
strata  is  to  sink  the  coal-measures  deeper  as  they  ascend  the 
Alleghany ;  and  this  cause  may,  in  connection  with  the  unexplored 
character  of  the  country,  be  referred  to  in  accounting  for  the 
absence  of  coal  along  this  part  of  the  line.  The  reappearance  of 
traces  of  this  mineral  at  Potato  Creek,  forty  miles  above  Olean,  is 
a  proof,  however,  that  the  coal-formation  extends  to  that  point. 
This  locality  is  a  few  miles  within  the  limits  of  Pennsylvania.  It 
occurs  in  a  valley. 

Coal  in  Western  New  York. — The  coal-bed  above  Olean  is 
south  of  the  summit  of  the  Genesee,  and  not  remote  from  its  pri- 
mary source.  The  expectation  may  be  indulged  that  the  western 
coal-formation  embraces  portions  of  Cattaraugus  and  Alleghany 
or  Steuben  counties.  The  noted  spring  of  naphtha,  called  Seneca 
Oil,  is  on  Oil  Creek  in  this  county.  As  this  substance,  in  the  class 
of  bitumens,  is  nearly  allied  to  the  coal  series,  it  may  be  deemed 
favorable  to  the  existence  of  the  formation  in  the  substrata.* 
Fragments  of  carbonized  wood  are  frequently  found  in  the  large 
tracts  of  marine  sand,t  as  well  as  in  some  of  the  mixed  alluvions 
of  these  counties ;  and  it  needs  but  an  examination,  as  cursory  as 
it  has  fallen  to  my  lot  to  make,  of  this  portion  of  the  country,  to 
render  it  one  of  high  geological  interest,  and  to  denote  that  the 
coal-measures  probably  extend  into  some  portions  of  "Western 
New  York,:}: 

*  These  tracts  bear  a  valuable  growth  of  pines,  which  constitute  the  source  of  a 
profitable  lumber  trade  with  the  Ohio  Valley. 

f  This  mineral  oil  also  occurs  in  several  of  the  lower  tributaries  of  the  Alleghanj' 
River,  within  the  coal  district. 

J  A  discovery  of  coal  has  been  announced  in  Alleghany  County,  New  York,  as 
these  sheets  are  going  through  the  press,  more  than  thirty  years  after  these  lines 
were  penned. 


392  APPENDIX. 

ADDENDA. 

Animals  inclosed  in  Hock,  d'c. 

Toads. — In  1770,  a  toad  was  brought  to  Mr,  Grignon  inclosed 
in  two  hollow  shells  of  stone ;  but,  on  examining  it  nicely,  Mr.  G. 
discovered  that  the  cavity  bore  the  impression  of  a  shell-fish, 
and,  of  consequence,  he  concluded  it  to  be  apocryphal. 

In  1771,  another  instance  occurred,  and  was  the  subject  of  a 
curious  memoir  read  by  Mr.  Guettard  to  the  Royal  Academy  of 
Sciences  at  Paris.   It  was  thus  related  by  that  famous  naturalist: — 

In  pulling  down  a  wall,  which  was  known  to  have  existed  up- 
wards of  a  hundred  years,  a  toad  was  found  without  the  smallest 
aperture  being  discoverable  by  which  it  could  have  entered. 
Upon  inspecting  the  animal,  it  was  apparent  that  it  had  been 
dead  but  a  very  little  time;  and  in  this  state  it  was  presented  to 
the  Academy,  which  induced  Mr.  Guettard  to  make  repeated  in- 
quiries into  the  subject,  the  particulars  of  which  will  be  read  with 
pleasure  in  the  excellent  memoir  we  have  just  cited. 

"Worms. — Two  living  worms  were  found,  in  Spain,  in  the  mid- 
dle of  a  block  of  marble  which  a  sculptor  was  carving  into  a  lion, 
of  the  natural  color,  for  the  royal  family.  These  worms  occupied 
two  small  cavities  to  which  there  was  no  inlet  that  could  possibly 
admit  the  air.  They  subsisted,  probably,  on  the  substance  of  the 
marble,  as  they  were  the  same  color.  This  fact  is  verified  by 
Captain  Ulloa,  a  famous  Spaniard,  who  accompanied  the  French 
academicians  in  their  voyage  to  Peru  to  ascertain  the  figure  of 
the  earth.     He  asserts  that  he  saw  these  two  worms. 

Adder. — We  read  in  the  Afftches  de  Provence^  17  June,  1772, 
that  an  adder  was  found  alive  in  the  centre  of  a  block  of  marble 
thirty  feet  in  diameter.  It  was  folded  nine  times  round,  in  a 
spiral  line.  It  was  incapable  of  supporting  the  air,  and  died  a 
few  minutes  after.  Upon  examining  the  stone,  not  the  smallest 
trace  was  to  be  found  by  which  it  could  have  glided  in  or  received 
air. 

Crawfish, — Misson,  in  his  Travels  through  Italy ^  mentions  a 
crawfish  that  was  found  alive  in  the  middle  of  a  marble  in  the 
environs  of  Tivoli. 

Frogs. — M.  Peyssonel,  king's  physician  at  Guadaloupe,  having 


APPENDIX.  893 

ordered  a  pit  to  be  dug  in  the  back  part  of  his  house,  live  frogs 
were  found  by  the  workmen  in  beds  of  petrifaction.  M.  P.,  sus- 
pecting some  deceit,  descended  into  the  pit,  dug  the  bed  of  the 
rock  and  petrifactions,  and  drew  out  himself  green  frogs,  which 
were  alive,  and  perfectly  similar  to  what  we  see  every  day. 

"We  are  informed  by  the  Fjumpean  Magazine^  February  21,  1771, 
that  M.  Herissan  inclosed  three  live  toads  in  so  many  cases  of 
plaster,  and  shut  them  up  in  a  deal  box,  which  he  also  covered 
with  thick  plaster.  On  the  6th  of  April,  1774,  having  taken 
away  the  plaster,  he  opened  the  box,  and  found  the  cases  whole 
and  two  of  the  toads  alive.  The  one  that  died  was  larger  than 
the  others,  and  had  been  more  compressed  in  its  case.  A  careful 
examination  of  this  experiment  convinced  those  who  had  wit- 
nessed it,  that  the  animals  were  so  inclosed  that  they  could  have 
no  possible  communication  with  the  external  air,  and  that  they 
must  have  existed  during  this  lapse  of  time  without  the  smallest 
nourishment. 

The  Academy  prevailed  upon  M.  Herissan  to  repeat  the  experi- 
ment. He  inclosed  again  the  two  surviving  toads,  and  placed 
the  box  in  the  hands  of  the  Secretary,  that  the  Society  might 
open  it  whenever  they  should  think  proper.  But  this  celebrated 
naturalist  was  too  strongly  interested  in  the  subject  to  rest  satis- 
fied with  a  single  experiment;  he  made,  therefore,  the  two  fol- 
lowing:— 

1.  He  placed,  15  April,  1771,  two  live  toads  in  a  basin  of  plaster, 
which  he  covered  with  a  glass  case  that  he  might  observe  them 
frequently.  On  the  9th  of  the  following  month,  he  presented  the 
apparatus  to  the  Academy.  One  of  the  toads  was  still  living; 
the  other  had  died  the  preceding  night. 

2.  The  same  day,  April  15,  he  inclosed  another  toad  in  a  glass 
bottle,  which  he  buried  in  sand,  that  it  might  have  no  communi- 
cation with  the  external  air.  This  animal,  which  he  presented  to 
the  Academy  at  the  same  time,  was  perfectly  well,  and  even 
croaked  whenever  the  bottle  was  shook  in  which  he  was  confined. 
It  is  to  be  lamented  that  the  death  of  M.  Herissan  put  a  stop  to 
these  experiments. 

We  beg  leave  to  observe  upon  this  subject,  that  the  power 
which  these  animals  appear  to  possess  of  supporting  abstinence 
for  so  long  a  time,  may  depend  upon  a  very  slow  digestion,  and, 


394  APPENDIX. 

perhaps,  from  the  singular  nourishment  which  they  derive  from 
themselves.  M.  Grignon  observes  that  this  animal  sheds  its  skin 
several  times  in  the  course  of  a  year,  and  that  it  always  swallows 
it.  He  has  known,  he  says,  a  large  toad  shed  its  skin  six  times 
in  one  winter.  In  short,  those  which,  from  the  facts  we  have 
related,  may  be  supposed  to  have  existed  many  centuries  without 
nourishment,  have  been  in  a  total  inaction,  in  a  suspension  of  life, 
or  a  temperature  that  has  admitted  of  no  dissolution;  so  that  it 
was  not  necessary  to  repair  any  loss,  the  humidity  of  the  sur- 
rounding matter  preserving  that  of  the  animal,  who  wanted  only 
the  component  parts  not  to  be  dried  up,  to  preserve  it  from 
destruction. 

The  results  of  modern  chemistry  and  philosophy  have  proved 
the  number  of  elementary  substances  to  be  far  greater  than  was 
admitted  in  the  preceding  century.  And  this  discovery  is  pro- 
gressive, and  will  probably  go  on  a  long  time ;  after  which,  it  is 
not  improbable  a  new  race  of  chemical  and  philosophical  observers 
will  spring  up,  who  will  be  able  to  decompose  many  substances 
we  now  consider  elementary,  and  thus  again  reduce  the  number 
of  elements  of  which  all  external  matter  is  composed.  It  would 
not  be  wonderful  if  posterity  should  reduce  the  number  of  ele- 
ments even  as  low  as  the  ancients  had  them.  Such  a  result  would 
throw  new  light  on  the  mysterious  and  intricate  connection  which 
seems  to  exist  between  animal,  vegetable,  and  mineral  matter. 
We  should  then,  perhaps,  have  less  cause  to  wonder  that  toads, 
&;c.,  are  capable  of  supporting  life  in  stone,  that  birds  should  exist 
in  solid  blocks  of  wood,  &c. 

But  toads  are  not  the  only  animals  which  are  capable  of  living 
for  a  considerable  length  of  time  without  nourishment  and  com- 
munication with  the  external  air.  The  instances  of  the  oysters 
and  dactyles,  mentioned  at  the  beginning  of  this  article,  may  be 
advanced  as  a  proof  of  it.  But  there  are  other  examples. — Eu- 
ropean Magazine^  March,  1791. 

A  beetle,  of  the  species  called  Capricorn,  was  found  in  a  piece 
of  wood  in  the  hold  of  a  ship  at  Plymouth,  The  wood  had  no 
external  mark  of  any  aperture. — European  Magazine, 

A  bug  eat  itself  out  of  a  cherry  table  at  Williamstown,  Mass. 
See  an  account  of  this  phenomenon,  by  Professor  Dewey,  in  the 
Lit.  and  Philos.  Repertory. 


APPENDIX.  395 

These  phenomena  remind  us  of  others  of  a  similar  nature  and 
equally  certain. 

In  a  trunk  of  an  elm,  about  the  size  of  a  man's  body,  three  or 
four  feet  above  the  root,  and  precisely  in  the  centre,  was  found, 
in  1719,  a  live  toad,  of  a  moderate  size,  thin,  and  which  occupied 
but  a  very  small  space.  As  soon  as  the  wood  was  cut,  it  came 
out  and  slipped  away  very  alertly.  No  tree  could  be  more  sound. 
No  place  could  be  discovered  through  which  it  was  possible  for 
the  animal  to  have  penetrated,  which  led  the  recorder  of  the  fact 
to  suppose  that  the  spawn  from  which  it  originated  must,  from 
some  unaccountable  accident,  have  been  in  the  tree  from  the  very 
moment  of  its  first  vegetation.  The  toad  had  lived  in  the  tree 
without  air,  and,  what  is  still  more  surprising,  had  subsisted  on 
the  substance  of  the  wood,  and  had  grown  in  proportion  as  the 
tree  had  grown.  This  fact  was  attested  by  M.  Hebert,  Ancient 
Professor  of  Philosophy  at  Caen. 

In  1731,  M.  Leigne  wrote  to  the  Academy  of  Sciences  at  Paris 
an  account  of  a  phenomenon  exactly  similar  to  the  preceding  one, 
except  that  the  tree  was  larger,  and  was  an  oak  instead  of  an 
elm,  which  makes  the  instance  the  more  surprising.  From  the 
size  of  the  oak,  M.  Leigne  judged  that  the  toad  must  have  ex- 
isted in  it  without  air  or  any  external  nourishment,  for  the  space 
of  eighty  or  a  hundred  years. 

We  shall  cite  a  third  instance,  related  in  a  letter  the  5th  Feb. 
1780,  written  from  the  neighborhood  of  Saint  Mexeut,  of  which 
the  following  is  a  copy. 

i/^A  few  days  ago,  I  ordered  an  oak  tree  of  a  tolerable  size  to 
be  cut  down,  and  converted  into  a  beam  that  was  wanting  for  a 
building  I  was  then  constructing.  Having  separated  the  head 
from  the  trunk,  three  men  were  employed  in  squaring  it  to  the 
proper  size.  About  four  inches  were  to  be  cut  away  on  each 
side.  I  was  present  during  the  transaction.  Conceive  what  was 
their  astonishment  when  I  saw  them  throw  aside  their  tools,  start 
back  from  the  tree,  and  fix  their  eyes  on  the  same  point  with  a 
kind  of  amazement  and  terror.  I  instantly  approached,  and 
looked  at  that  part  of  the  tree  which  had  fixed  their  attention. 
My  surprise  equalled  theirs,  on  seeing  a  toad,  about  the  size  of  a 
large  pullet's  egg,  incrusted,  in  a  manner,  in  the  tree,  at  the  dis- 
tance of  four  inches  from  the  diameter  and  fifteen  from  the  root. 


396  APPENDIX. 

It  was  cut  and  mangled  by  tlie  axe,  but  still  moved.  I  drew  it 
with  difficulty  from  its  abode,  or  rather  prison,  which  it  filled  so 
completely  that  it  seemed  to  have  been  compressed.  I  placed  it 
on  the  grass ;  it  appeared  old,  thin,  languishing,  decrepit.  We 
afterwards  examined  the  tree  with  the  nicest  care,  to  discover 
how  it  had  glided  in;  butth^  tree  was  perfectly  whole  and  sound." 
— European  Magazine.     */ 

Bat. — A  woodman  engaged  in  splitting  timber  for  rail-posts 
in  the  woods  close  by  the  lake  in  Haming  (a  seat  of  Mr.  Pringie's 
in  Selkirkshire),  lately  discovered,  in  the  centre  of  a  large  wild 
cherry  tree,  a  living  bat,  of  a  bright  scarlet  color,  which  he  fool- 
ishly suffered  to  escape,  from  fear,  being  fully  persuaded  it  was 
(with  the  characteristic  superstition  of  the  inhabitants  of  that  part 
of  the  country)  a  "  being  not  of  this  world,"  The  tree  presented 
a  small  cavity  in  the  centre,  where  the  bat  was  inclosed,  but  is 
perfectly  sound  and  solid  on  each  side. — N.  Y.  Lit.  Journ.  and 
Belles-Letires  Rej)ository,  taken  from  the  London  Semi-Monthly 
Magazine. 

Skull  in  Wood. — A  tenant  of  the  Eev.  J.  Cattle,  of  Warwick, 
lately  presented  to  him  a  part  of  the  solid  butt  of  an  oak  tree, 
containing  within  it  the  skull  of  some  animal  (unknown).  It  was 
in  the  part  of  the  tree  nine  feet  above  the  ground,  and  was  per- 
fectly inclosed  in  solid  timber. — N.  Y.  Lit.  Journ.  and  Belles- 
Lettres  Repository^  from  European  Magazine. 

X. 

A  Memoir  on  the  Geological  Position  of  a  Fossil-Tree  in  the  Series  of 
the  Secondary  Rocks  of  the  Tllinois. 

The  spirit  of  inquiry  which  has  been  excited  in  this  country 
in  regard  to  objects  of  natural  history,  while  it  has  enlarged  the 
boundaries  of  our  knowledge  of  existing  species,  has  directed 
some  of  its  more  valuable  researches  to  those  organized  forms 
which  have  perished  and  become  embalmed  in  the  shape  of 
petrifactions,  in  the  body  of  solid  rocks.  A  petrified  tree  of 
this  kind  has  recently  been  discovered  in  the  secondary*  rocks 

*  This  term  is  superseded,  in  geological  discussions  of  the  present  day,  by  the 
term  silurian,  which  embraces  all  strata  of  the  era  between  the  palssozoic  and  ter- 
tiary formations. 


APPENDIX.  897 

at  the  source  of  the  Illinois  River,  Having  recently  visited  this 
evidence  of  former  changes  in  the  flora  of  the  West,  I  embrace 
the  occasion,  while  my  recollections  are  fresh,  to  give  an  account 
of  it. 

The  tract  of  country  separating  the  southern  shores  of  Lake 
Michigan  from  the  Illinois  River,  is  a  plat  of  table-land  composed 
of  compact  limestone,  based  on  floetz  or  horizontal  sandstone. 
This  formation  embraces  the  contiguous  parts  of  Illinois,  and 
spreads  through  Indiana,  Ohio,  and  the  Peninsula  of  Michigan. 
If  is  overspread  with  a  deposit  of  the  drift  era,  covered  with  a 
stratum  of  alluvial  soil,  presenting  a  pleasing  surface  of  prairies, 
forests,  and  streams.  These  features  may  be  considered  as  pecu- 
liarly characteristic  of  the  junction  of  the  Rivers  Kankakee  and 
Des  Plaines,  which  constitute  the  Illinois  River.  This  junction 
is  effected  about  forty  miles  south  of  Chicago. 

The  fossil  in  question  Occurs  about  forty  rods  above  the  junc- 
tion of  the  Kankakee.  The  sandstone  embracing  it  is  deposited 
in  perfectly  horizontal  layers,  of  a  gray  color  and  close  grain.  It 
lies  in  the  bed  of  the  Des  Plaines.  The  action  of  this  stream  has 
laid  bare  the  trunk  of  the  tree  to  the  extent  of  fifty-one  feet  six 
inches.  The  part  at  the  point  where  it  is  overlaid  in  the  western 
bank  is  two  feet  six  inches  in  diameter.  Its  mineralization  is 
complete.  The  trunk  is  simple,  straight,  scabrous,  without 
branches,  and  has  the  usual  taper  observed  in  the  living  speci- 
men. It  lies  nearly  at  right  angles  to  the  course  of  the  river, 
pointing  towards  the  southeast,  and  extends  about  half  the  w.idth 
of  the  stream.  Notwithstanding  the  continual  abrasion  to  which 
it  is  exposed  by  the  volume  of  passing  water,  it  has  suffered  little 
apparent  diminution,  and  is  still  firmly  imbedded  in  the  rock, 
with  the  exception  of  two  or  three  places  where  portions  of  it 
have  been  disengaged  and  carried  away ;  but  no  portion  of  what 
remains  is  elevated  more  than  a  few  inches  above  the  surface  of 
the  rock.  It  is  owing,  however,  to  those  partial  disturbances 
that  we  are  enabled  to  perceive  the  columnar  form  of  the  trunk, 
its  cortical  layers,  the  bark  by  which  it  is  enveloped,  and  the 
peculiar  cross  fracture,  which  unite  to  render  the  evidence  of  its 
ligneous  origin  so  striking  and  complete.  From  these  characters 
and  appearances,  little  doubt  can  remain  that  it  is  referable  to  the 
species  juglans  nigra,  a  tree  very  common  to  the  forest  of  the 


398  APPENDIX. 

Illinois,  as  well  as  to  most  other  parts  of  the  immense  region 
drained  by  the  waters  of  the  Mississippi.  The  woody  structure 
is  most  obvious  in  the  outer  rind  of  the  trunk,  extending  to  a 
depth  of  two  or  three  inches,  and  these  appearances  become  less 
evident  as  we  approximate  the  heart.  Indeed,  the  traces  of  or- 
ganic structure  in  its  interior,  particularly  when  viewed  in  the 
hand  specimen,  are  almost  totally  obliterated  and  exchanged,  the 
vegetable  matter  being  replaced  by  a  mixed  substance,  analogous, 
in  its  external  character,  to  some  of  the  silicated  and  impure  cal- 
careous carbonates  of  the  region.  Like  those  carbonates,  it  is  of 
a  brownish-gray  color  and  compact  texture,  effervesces  slightly 
in  the  nitric  and  muriatic  acids,  yields  a  white  streak  under  the 
knife,  and  presents  solitary  points,  or  facets,  of  crystals  resembling 
calc  spar.  All  parts  of  the  tree  are  penetrated  by  pyrites  of  iron 
of  a  brass  yellow  color,  disseminated  through  the  most  solid  and 
stony  parts  of  the  interior,  filling  interstices  in  the  outer  rind,  or 
investing  its  capillary  pores.  There  are  also  the  appearances  of 
rents  or  seams  between  the  fibres  of  the  wood,  caused  by  its  own 
shrinkage,  which  are  now  filled  with  a  carbonate  of  lime,  of  a 
white  color  and  crystallized. 

From  an  effect  analogous  to  carbonization,  the  exterior  rind 
and  bark  of  the  tree  have  acquired  a  blackish -hue,  while  the  in- 
closing rock  is  of  a  light-gray  color,  characters  which  are  calcu- 
lated to  arrest  attention. 

There  is  reason  to  conclude  that  the  subject  under  considera- 
tion is  the  joint  result,  partly  of  the  infiltration  of  mineral  matter 
into  its  pores  and  crevices,  prior  to  inclosure  in  the  rock,  and 
partly  to  the  chemical  action  educed  by  the  great  catastrophe  by 
which  it  was  translated  from  its  parent  forest,  and  suddenly  en- 
veloped in  a  bed  of  solidifying  sand. 

At  the  time  of  my  visit  (August  13,  1821),  the  depth  of  water 
upon  the  floetz  rocks  forming  the  bed  of  the  Eiver  Des  Plaines, 
would  vary  from  one  to  two  feet ;  but  it  was  at  a  season  when 
these  higher  tributaries,  and  the  Illinois  itself,  are  generally  at 
their  lowest  stage.  Like  most  of  the  confluent  rivers  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi and  their  tributaries,  the  Des  Plaines  is  subject  to  great 
fluctuations,  and  during  its  periodical  floods  may  be  estimated  to 
carry  a  depth  of  eight  or  ten  feet  of  water  to  the  junction  of  the 
Kankakee.     At  those  periods,  the  water  is  also  rendered  turbid 


APPENDIX.  399 

by  the  quantity  of  alluvial  matter  it  carries  clown,  and  a  search 
for  this  organic  fossil  must  prove  unsuccessful.  But  during  the 
prevalence  of  the  summer  droughts,  in  an  atmosphere  of  little 
humidity,  when  the  waters  are  drained  to  the  lowest  point  of  de- 
pression, and  acquire  the  greatest  degree  of  transparency,  it  forms 
a  very  conspicuous  trait  in  the  geology  of  the  stream,  and  no  per- 
son, seeking  the  spot,  can  fail  to  be  directed  to  it. 

The  sand-rock  containing  this  petrifaction  is  found  in  a  hori- 
zontal position,  differing  only  with  respect  to  hardness  and  color. 
The  remains  of  fossil  organized  bodies  in  this  stratum  are  not 
abundant,  or  have  not  been  successfully  sought.  It  is  probable 
that  future  observations  will  prove  that  its  organic  conservata 
are  chiefly  referable  to  the  vegetable  kingdom.  It  is  certain,  that 
this  inference  is  justified  by  the  facts  which  are  before  me,  and 
particularly  by  the  characteristic  appearances  of  the  strata  in  the 
bed  of  the  River  Des  Plaines,  where  the  imbedded  walnut  is  the 
representative  of  the  ancient  flora.  At  a  short  distance  above, 
where  the  bed  of  the  Des  Plaines  approaches  nearer  the  summit 
level,  limestone  ensues,  and  continues  from  that  point  northward 
to  the  shores  of  Lake  Michigan.  In  the  vicinity  of  Chicago, 
where  this  limestone  is  quarried  for  economical  purposes,  it  is 
characterized  by  the  fossil  remains  of  molluscous  species. 

Lake  Erie  lies  at  an  elevation  of  five  hundred  and  sixty-five 
feet  above  the  Atlantic.* 

There  exists  a  water  communication  between  the  head  of  Lake 
Michigan,  at  Chicago,  and  the  River  Des  Plaines,  during  the 
periodical  rises  of  the  latter,  but  its  summer  level  is  about  seven 
feet  lower,  at  the  termination  of  the  Chicago  portage,  than  the 
surface  of  the  lake.  From  this  point  to  its  junction  with  the 
Kankakee,  a  computed  distance  of  fifty  miles,  the  bed  of  the  Des 
Plaines  may  be  considered  as  having  a  mean  southern  depression 
of  ten  inches  per  mile,  so  that  the  floetz  rocks  at  its  mouth,  lying 
on  a  level  of  forty-eight  feet  eight  inches  below  the  surface  of 
Lake  Michigan,  have  an  altitude  which  cannot  vary  far  from  five 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  Atlantic.  There  are  no  mount- 
ains for  a  vast  distance  either  east  or  west  of  this  stream.     It  is  a 

*  Public  Documents  relating  to  the  New  York  Canals,  with  an  Introduction,  &c., 
by  Colonel  Haines. 


400  APPENDIX. 

country  of  plains,  in  wliich  are  occasionally  to  be  seen  alluvial 
hills  of  moderate  elevation ;  but  the  most  striking  inequalities  of 
surface  proceed  from  the  streams  which  have  worn  their  deep- 
seated  channels  through  it;  and  an  oceanic  overflow  capable  of 
covering  the  country,  and  producing  these  strata  by  deposition, 
would  also  submerge  all  the  immense  tracts  of  secondary  and 
alluvial  country  between  the  Alleghany  and  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
converting  into  an  arm  of  the  sea  the  great  valley  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  north  to  the  Canadian  Lakes.  We 
find  in  the  alluvial  soil  along  the  Illinois  and  Des  Plaines  blocks 
of  granite,  hornblende,  and  gneiss,  of  the  drift  stratum,  exhibiting 
the  same  appearances  of  attrition,  and  of  having  been  transported 
from  their  parent  beds,  which  characterize  the  secondary  table- 
lands along  the  margin  of  the  great  American  lakes,  the  prairies 
of  Illinois,  and  the  western  parts  of  New  York. 

There  is  nothing,  perhaps,  in  the  progress  of  modern  science, 
which  has  tended  to  facilitate  geological  research  so  much  as  the 
study  and  investigation  of  fossil  organic  remains.  The}''  teach, 
with  unerring  lights,  how  extensively  the  ancient  flora  and  fauna 
of  this  continent  have  been  prostrated,  leaving  their  exact  impres- 
sions, in  all  their  minuteness,  in  the  newly-formed  stratifications. 
That  these  impressions,  fresh  and  vivid  as  we  find  them,  should 
mark  the  eras  of  depositions  and  crystallization  of  rocks  from 
the  suspension  of  their  elements  in  water,  is  the  observation  of 
Werner,  and  it  is  to  him  we  owe  the  elements  of  the  Neptunian 
hypothesis.  His  general  recognition  of  the  epochs  of  the  primi- 
tive, transition,  and  secondary  rocks,  appears  too  probable  not  to 
commend  itself  to  adoption  with  regard  to  all  strata  which  can  be 
conceived  to  be  the  products  of  watery  menstrua. 

But  it  remained  for  Werner,  who  was  the  first  to  perceive  an 
order  in  strata,  also  to  point  out  the  important  application  of  fossil 
organic  bodies  in  elucidating  their  eras,  and  the  natural  order  of 
their  superposition. 

To  adopt  the  words  of  Dr.  Thomas  Cooper : — 

"There  appears  to  be  a  series  of  strata,  or,  as  Werner  calls 
them,  formations,  that  may  be  considered  as  surrounding  the 
nucleus  of  the  earth.  The  first  formed,  or  lowest  series,  always 
preserve  the  same  situation  to  each  other,  except  where  occasional 
eruptions,  or  circumstances  not  of  a  general  nature,  make  a  variety 


APPENDIX.  401 

in  their  situations.  These  strata  are  not  only  the  deepest,  but 
they  are  also  the  highest  that  are  observable  in  the  crust  of  the 
earth ;  forming  the  tops  of  the  highest  mountains.  They  are  cha- 
racterized by  an  appearance  of  crystallization,  and  by  containing 
no  remains  of  organic  matter,  animal  or  vegetable.  The  strata  or 
formations  that  in  general  constitute  this  first,  deepest,  highest, 
and  crj'stallized  series,  are  granite,  gneiss,  mica-slate,  clay-slate, 
primitive  greenstone,  granular  limestone,  serpentine,  porphyry, 
and  sienite.  These  formations  are  so  generally  found,  and  in  the 
same  situations  as  incumbent  upon  or  subtending  each  other  rela- 
tively, that  they  may  be  considered  as  universal.  Their  crys- 
tallized appearance  shows  that  their  particles  have  either  been 
dissolved  or  very  finely  suspended  in  water,  so  that  the  attraction 
of  crystallization  has  been  free  to  operate;  that  this  water  has 
been  deep,  so  that  the  lowermost  parts  of  it  have  not  been  much 
agitated  during  the  crystallization,  which  would  otherwise  have 
been  more  confused  than  it  is;  and,  indeed,  the  oldest  formations 
are  the  best  crystallized.  A  part  of  the  water  covering  the 
nucleus  must  have  been  taken  up,  as  water  of  crystallization,  in 
the  primitive  formations.  When  these  were  deposited,  there  were 
no  vegetables  formed;  of  course,  no  animals;  nay,  even  the  sea 
was  unpeopled,  for  there  is  no  trace  of  any  organic  remains  in 
these  strata.  Even  the  belemnites,  the  asterite,  the  echini,  the 
entrochi,  the  most  simple  forms  of  oceanic  animal  life,  do  not 
occur  until  the  transition  strata  appear.  Hence  the  propriety  of 
denominating  these  formations  2^™nitive. 

"By  processes  of  nature,  besides  the  consumption  of  water  by 
the  new  crystallized  masses,  to  us  unknown,  the  waters  appear  to 
have  diminished.  The  highest  parts  of  the  primitive  formations 
became  the  shores  to  the  water  superincumbent  on  their  bases 
and  middle  regions;  the  simplest  forms  of  oceanic  animals  came 
into  existence;  the  mosses  and  lichens  of  high  latitude  would 
generally  occupy  the  surface  of  the  primitive  strata,  gradually 
decomposed  by  the  alternate  action  of  air  and  water  after  many 
ages.  Daring  this  period,  while  the  strata  were  in  a  state  of 
transition  from  the  chaotic  to  the  habitable  state,  other  deposits 
would  gradually  be  made  from  the  waters,  now  decreased  in  quan- 
tity, and  take  their  place  below  the  summits  of  the  primitive 
range.  Those  summits  being  exposed  to  the  action  of  the  atmo- 
26 


402  APPENDIX. 

sphere,  of  rains,  of  frost  probably,  and  to  the  action  also  of  the 
waters  with  their  contents  still  incumbent  on  the  earliest  strata, 
would  furnish  masses  and  particles  washed  away,  which  would 
mingle  with  the  deposits  of  the  transition  series.  This  series, 
therefore,  will  exhibit  appearances  of  mechanical  and  chemical 
intermixture  of  earths  and  stones,  such  as  are  found  in  the  silicious 
porphyries,  the  graywackes,  the  silicious  and  argillaceous  horn- 
blende rocks,  the  elder  red  sandstone,  &c.  During  the  period 
when  these  transition  formations  were  deposited,  there  would  be 
no  land  animals,  for  there  would  be  no  vegetables  for  them  to 
feed  upon.  There  would  be  no  vegetables  unless  some  few  lichens, 
mosses,  or  ericas,  that  would  find  foothold  upon  the  slight  decom- 
position that,  after  the  lapse  of  some  ages,  would  take  place  on 
the  surface  of  the  primitive  rocks.  The  sea  only  would  be  peo- 
pled, and  that  but  sparingly;  for,  in  that  mass  of  muddy  water, 
none  but  the  lowest  and  most  infierior  grades  of  animal  life,  and 
such  as  do  not  inhabit  deep  water,  could  exist.  Hence,  we  find 
the  transition  formations  contain  in  their  substances  some  belem- 
nites,  asterise,  entrochi,  echini,  &c.,  but  no  organized  vegetable 
substance  except,  very  rarely,  in  the  latest  rocks  of  this  series, 
and  no  remains  whatever  of  terrestrial  animals.  Indeed,  in  the 
high  latitudes  of  the  outgoings  or  summits  of  the  primitive  strata, 
very  few  vegetables,  even  at  the  present  day,  can  live.  No  vege- 
tation fit  for  animal  life  could  take  place  until  the  transition,  and 
most  of  the  next  series  of  secondary  or  jioetz  formations  had  sub- 
sided. These  would  occupy  lower  and  lower  situations,  till  a  rich 
soil,  from  every  kind  of  intermixture  of  earth  mechanically  de- 
posited, would  afford  a  proper  temperature  of  region,  and  an  easily 
decomposed  soil,  wherein  vegetables  could  grow. 

"Next  to  the  transition  series,  come  the  secondary^  or,  as  the 
German  mineralogists  call  them,  ihefloetz  rocks;  so  called,  because 
they  appear  to  be  more  floated  or  horizontal,  though  I  confess 
the  appellation  does  not  appear  to  me  peculiarly  appropriate. 
These  strata  consist  principally  of  sandstone,  limestone — some- 
times fetid  from  bituminous  impregnations,  sometimes  shelly — 
secondary  greenstone,  graphite,  coal,  gypsum,  rock  salt.  I  have 
observed  that  the  Alpine  heights  of  the  primitive  mountains 
could  at  no  time  furnish  much  food.  The  same  remark,  but  in 
a  less  degree,  will  apply  to  the  transition  range;  the  low  and 


APPENDIX.  403 

kindly  climates  occupied  by  the  secondary  series.  The  soft  and 
decomposable  nature  of  these  depositions  would  furnish  the  true 
theatre  of  vegetable  life,  and,  until  these  regions  were  filled  with 
vegetables,  the  race  of  animals  could  not  have  been  produced ;  for 
on  what  could  they  subsist?  Graminivorous  animals,  therefore, 
must  have  succeeded  the  various  forms  of  vegetable  existence ; 
and  carnivorous,  the  graminivorous.  The  vegetable  matter  im- 
bedded in  the  substance  of  the  secondary  strata  will  consist  of 
the  remains  of  vegetables  that  grow  in  the  transition  strata;  and 
the  animal  remains  will  consist  chiefly  of  such  animals  as  were 
produced  in  the  early  stages  of  animal  existence,  particularly  the 
smaller  aquatic  animals;  and,  of  these,  chiefly  shell-fish,  as  shells 
are  not  so  soon  decomposed  as  mere  animal  substance." 

It  is  to  the  latter  class  of  depositions — to  the  secondary  series — 
that  we  must  refer  the  sandstone  of  the  Kiver  Des  Plaines,  in 
which  we  find  a  walnut,  of  mature  growth,  enveloped  by,  and 
imbedded  in  the  rock,  in  the  most  complete  state  of  mineraliza- 
tion ;  and,  since  all  geological  writers  who  subscribe  to  the  Nep- 
tunian theory  are  constrained  to  employ  the  agency  of  oceanic 
depositions  of  different  eras,  in  explaining  the  structure  of  the 
earth's  surface,  it  is  one  of  the  most  obvious  and  important  con- 
clusions, to  be  drawn  from  the  fact  that  such  submersions  and 
depositions  of  rock  matter  have  taken  place  subsequent  to  the 
existence  of  forests  of  mature  growth,  and  that  the  rock  strata 
and  beds  composing  the  exterior  of  the  earth  are  the  result  of 
different  geological  epochs,  and  of  successive  subsidences  of  chaotic 
matter — positions  which  have  been  so  severely  attacked  and  so 
often  denied,  particularly  by  the  disciples  of  the  Huttonian 
school,  that  it  is  not  without  a  feeling  of  lively  interest,  I  com- 
municate a  discovery  which  appears  so  conclusive  on  the  subject. 

Considerations  arising  from  the  frontier  position  of  the  country, 
and  the  infrequency  of  the  communication,  have  also  induced  me 
to  draw  from  incidental  sources,  a  corroboration  of  the  facts 
advanced. 

In  a  letter  to  Governor  Cass,  of  Michigan,  dated  September  17, 
1821,  I  made  the  following  observations  on  the  subject  under 
review : — 

"I  consider  the  petrified  tree  discovered  during  our  recent 
journey  up  the  Illinois,  so  extraordinary  an  object  in  the  natural 


404:  APPENDIX. 

history  of  the  country,  and  calculated  to  lead  to  conclusions  so 
important  to  the  science  of  geology,  that  I  am  anxious  to  avail 
myself  of  your  concurrent  testimony  as  to  the  fact  of  the  exist- 
ence of  the  tree  in  a  mineralized  state,  and  the  natural  appearances 
of  the  spot  where  it  lies  imbedded.     I  feel  the  more  solicitude  on 
this  subject,  as  I  am  aware  that  any  description  of  this  pheno- 
menon which  I  may  be  induced  to  communicate  to  the  public, 
will  be  received  with  a  degree  of  caution  and  scrutiny  which  it  is 
the  province  of  the  naturalist  to  exercise  whenever  any  discovery 
is  announced  affecting  the  existing  theories  of  the  natural  sciences, 
or  tending  to  increase  the  volume  of  facts  upon  which  their  ad- 
vancement and  perfection  depend.     I  am  aware,  also,  that  what- 
ever degree  of  caution  and  vigilance  it  may  be  proper  to  exercise 
to  prevent  errors  from  mingling  with  the  sound  doctrines  of  the 
physical  and  other  sciences,  still  more  care  and  circumspection  is 
requisite  in  examining  facts  which  affect  the  progress  of  geology." 
I  quote  an  extract  from  Governor  Cass's  reply  on  the  subject : — 
"The  appearance  of  the  wood  and  bark  indicates  that  it  was  a 
black  walnut,  the  juglans  nigra  of  our  forests.     We  computed  its 
original  diameter,  at  the  place  where  it  is  concealed  in  the  earth, 
to  have  been  three  feet,  and  at  the  other  end  eighteen  inches. 
The  texture  of  the  wood,  and  the  bark  and  knots,  are  nearly  as 
distinct  as  in  the  living  subject,  and  the  process  of  decay  had  not 
commenced  previous  to  the  commencement  of  this  wonderful  con- 
version.    Every  part  of  the  mass  which  we  could  examine  is 
solid  stone,  and  readily  yields  fire  by  the  collision  with  steel. 

"  When  we  visited  the  spot,  the  water  of  the  river  was  at  the 
lowest  stage ;  but  there  was  no  part  of  the  tree  within  some 
inches  of  the  surface.  The  rocky  bed  of  the  stream  was  formed 
round  and  upon  it.  We  raised  from  it  pieces  of  the  rock,  which 
were  evidently  in  situ,  and  which  had  been  formed  upon  the  tree 
posterior  to  the  period  of  its  deposit  in  its  present  situation.  This 
rock  is  a  species  of  sandstone,  whose  characteristic  features  must 
be  well  known  to  you. 

"There  are  no  mineralized  substances  of  vegetable  origin  in  the 
vicinity  of  this  specimen,  nor  are  there  any  appearances  which 
indicate  that  its  present  condition  has  been  caused  by  any  pecu- 
liar property  in  the  waters  of  the  Des  Plaines." 


APPENDIX.  405 


ADDENDA. 


The  publication  of  tlio  foregoing  memoir  led  to  several  letters 
being  addressed  to  tlie  author  on  topics  connected  with  it.  Some 
of  these  were  from  gentlemen  eminent  in  science  or  politics,  whose 
opinions  are  entitled  to  the  highest  respect.  Extracts  are  given 
from  such  only  as  introduce  new  data,  either  of  fact  or  opinion. 

Geological  Theoeies. — Professor  Dewey,  of  Williams  Col- 
lege, observes:  "A  friend  has  just  lent  me  your  'Memoir  on  a 
Fossil-Tree.'  Though  the  account  is  very  interesting,  I  do  not 
perceive  its  exact  bearing  on  the  Neptunian  and  Plutonian  hypo- 
theses. The  fault  is  doubtless  in  me,  and  you  will  excuse  my 
remarks  and  set  me  right.  I  had  supposed  the  Huttonians  and 
"Wernerians  did  not  dispute  about  the  manner  in  which  the  se- 
condary rocks  w^ere  formed.  Macculloch,  and  others  before  him, 
led  me  into  this  opinion,  though  it  may  be  erroneous.  But 
Bakewell,  who  is  referred  to  as  authority  in  Rees's  Cyclo]}ccdia^ 
says,  p.  131:  'Geologists  are  agreed  that  secondary  rocks  have 
been  formed  by  the  agency  of  water.'  If  this  be  so,  they  would 
agree  generally  with  the  account  of  Dr.  Cooper  respecting  the 
formation  of  petrifactions,  and  especially  those  of  vegetables,  and 
the  fossil-tree  would  be  treated  of  in  a  similar  manner  by  both." 

Hutton's  original  hypothesis,  and  not  the  modifications  of  it 
introduced  by  the  Neptu-Yulcanists,  were  adverted  to  in  reply. 
Subsequently,  Professor  Dewey  writes": — 

"I  was  greatly  obliged  by  your  letter  in  various  respects,  and  I 
write  you  now  to  make  my  acknowledgments  for  it,  as  well  as  to 
maintain  the  correctness  of  your  notions  on  the  Huttonian  hypo- 
thesis. As  you  had  seen  a  Scotch  mineralogist  directly  from  the 
mint  of  Playfair,  I  had  every  reason  to  suppose  you  had  received 
correct  views  of  Playfair's  notions  on  the  subject.  I  have  been 
led,  therefore,  to  examine  the  matter,  and,  as  I  may  have  set  you 
on  the  search,  I  wish  to  prevent  your  continuing  it  on  my  ac- 
count, or  from  what  I  wrote. 

"Playfair's  Illustrations  I  have  never  seen.  Occasional  ex- 
tracts, or  allusions  to  its  points,  have  fallen  in  my  way.  But  I 
have  before  me  a  very  full  abstract  of  Hutton's  paper  on  the  sub- 
ject, from  the  Transactions  of  the  Boyal  Society  of  Edinburgh.     It 


406  APPENDIX. 

is  from  the  very  paper  in  whicli  he  announces  his  hypothesis.  In 
that  paper  he  mentions  that  the  consohclation  of  all  the  hard  crust 
of  the  globe  has  been  effected  by  lieat  and  fusion^  extending  it  to 
secondary  as  well  as  primitive  rocks,  and  mentioning  particularly 
Spanish  marble,  shell  limestone,  oolite,  and  chalk. 

"This  operation  of  heat,  he  says,  is  exemplified  by  cliallc^  which 
is  to  he  found  in  all  gradations^  from  Tnarhle  to  loose  chalk.  This  is 
his  precise  notion,  but  not  his  words.  I  had  once  looked  at  this 
paper  before,  and  thought  much  of  this  theory ;  but  this  thought 
had  been  obliterated  from  my  mind  by  thoughts  advanced  by 
others,  as  I  thought  in  consistency  with  the  sentence  I  quoted 
from  Bakewell.  At  least,  one  objection  to  Hutton's  views  would 
be  removed  by  modifying  his  theory  in  the  manner  it  seems  to 
be  by  Bakewell.  Though  Hutton  does  not  think  this  to  be  ne- 
cessary ;  for  he  appears  to  feel  no  difficulty  in  accounting  for 
petrifactions  of  wood  on  his  hypothesis,  for  he  mentions  that  tue 
have  many  proofs  of  the  penetration  of  flinty  matter,  in  a  state  of  fusion, 
in  other  bodies,  such  as  insulated  j^ieces  of  flint  in  chalk  or  sand,  and 
fossil  xvood penetrated  ivith  silicious  matter. 

"  Still,  the  grand  reasons  of  Hutton  for  employing  heat  as  the 
agent  of  consolidation  are  opposed  to  the  above  modification  of 
his  theory.  These  reasons,  as  you  know,  are  the  insolubility  of 
most  mineral  substances  in  water,  and  the  disappearance  of  the 
water  from  the  cavities  of  minerals  which  have  been  consolidated. 
The  first  is,  indeed,  the  great  one  for  Hutton;  for  the  crystalliza- 
tion of  salts  in  water,  and  tlie  existence  of  liquids,  in  some  cases, 
in  the  cavities  of  the  most  solid  minerals,  show  well  enough  that 
the  water  might  or  might  not  disappear,  as  the  circumstances 
were  different. 

"  If  the  Huttonians  maintain,  as  he  did,  the  formation  of  petri- 
factions by  heat,  which  consistency  requires,  I  concede,  indeed,  to 
you  that  that  fossil-tree  stands  as  a  grand  monument  of  some  dif- 
ferent process ;  and  yet,  we  can  hardly  suppose  that  they  do  not 
see  great  difficulty  in  the  common  notion  on  the  subject.  The 
rapidity  with  which  the  petrifactions  must  have  taken  place — a 
point  well  illustrated  in  Hayden's  Geological  .Essays — seems  to 
require  some  new  notions  on  the  subject.  What  these  may  be, 
1  cannot  tell ;  but  I  believe  that  neither  of  these  two  hypotheses 
will  be  adopted  exclusively,  half  a  century  hence,  on  this  point, 


APPENDIX.  407 

or  on  geology  generally.  I  think,  with  you,  that  our  countrymen 
need  illumination  on  the  subject  of  Uutton's  hypothesis,  and  I 
wish  some  one  would  attempt  it." 

Trap-Eocks  of  Europe  and  America. — "  I  suspect  the  green- 
stone of  our  country,  when  examined  as  it  ought  to  be,  will  be 
found,  in  its  geological  relations,  much  to  resemble  the  basalt  of 
Europe ;  and  that  the  same  difficulties  will  attend  it,  on  "Werner's 
hypothesis,  as  now  attend  the  basalt.  Indeed,  I  know  not  how 
we  can  account  for  what  Bakewell  and  Macculloch  state  on  this 
hypothesis." 

Sandstone  op  Virginia. — "I  have  seen  a  piece  of  a  petrified 
tree,  about  eight  inches  through,  found  in  the  sandstone  of  Yir- 
ginia,  but  could  get  none  of  it.  The  petrifaction  was  far  finer 
than  the  stone  in  which  it  lay,  and  was,  like  it,  silex." 

Sandstone  of  Ohio. — C.  Atwater,  Esq.,  in  a  letter  to  the 
author,  observes: — 

"I  can  assure  you  that  the  finding  of  whole  trees  in  sandstone 
is  nothing  strange  in  this  State.  Some  of  these  trees  are  im- 
bedded in  sandstone  one  hundred  feet  below  the  surface.  Zanes- 
ville  and  Gallipolis  are  the  best  spots  to  find  these  fossils. 

"  There  is  no  part  of  the  tree  but  what  I  have  in  my  cabinet, 
not  excepting  theif  leaves,  fruit,  and  even  fungi  attached  to  them." 

MosAicAL  History  of  the  Creation. — B.  Irvine,  Esq.,  in 
adverting  to  remarks  on  the  Illinois  fossil,  observes: — 

"  They  may  5^et  awaken  some  ideas  in  the  minds  of  the  people 
on  the  wonders  of  physics — and  I  had  almost  said,  the  slow  mira- 
cles of  creation;  for,  if  ever  there  Avas  a  time  when  matter  existed 
not,  it  is  pretty  evident  that  raillions  of  years ^  instead  of  six  days, 
were  necessary  to  establish  order  in  chaos,  let  Cuvier,  &c.  tem- 
porize as  they  may.  Ilowever,  it  is  the  humble  allotment  of  the 
herd  to  believe  or  stare ;  it  is  the  glory  of  intelligent  men  to  in- 
quire and  admire." 

The  doctrine  of  materialism,  adverted  to  by  Mr.  Irvine,  it  is 
the  province  of  divines  to  controvert.  One  remark  may  be  pre- 
dicted on  the  biblical  era  of  the  six  days.  It  is  now  believed  to 
be  generally  conceded  by  eminent  geologists  and  ecclesiastics, 
that  the  term  "day,"  employed  by  the  translators  of  the  English 
version  of  the  Scriptures,  is  used  in  Gen.  ch.  i.  in  a  sense  synony- 
mous Avith  "era"  or  "time,"  as  it  is  emphatically  used  in  Gen. 


408  APPENDIX. 


ch.  ii.  ver.  4.     For  an  able  exposition  of  the  present  views  on  this 
subject,  see  the  American  Journal  of  Science,  vol.  xxv.  No.  1. 


4.  BOT/VNY, 
XI. 


A  descriptive  list  of  the  plants  collected  on  the  expedition, 
drawn  up  by  Dr.  John  Torrej,  has  been  published  in  the  fourth 
volume  of  the  America?!  Journal  of  Science.  References  to  this 
standard  work  may  be  conveniently  made  by  botanists. 


5.  ZOOLOGY. 


No  professed  zoologist  was  attached  to  the  expedition,  the  topic 
being  left  to  such  casual  attention  as  members  of  it  might  find  it 
convenient  to  bestow.  Of  the  fauna  of  the  region,  it  was  not 
believed  that  there  were  any  of  the  prominent  species  which  were 
improperly  classed  in  the  Systema  Naturae,  of  Linnasus.  It  was 
doubtless  desirable  to  know  something  more  particularly  of  the 
character  and  habitat  of  the  American  species  of  the  reindeer  {C. 
sylvestris)  and  hyena,  or  glutton.  Perhaps  something  new  was  to 
be  gleaned  respecting  the  extent  of  the  genera  arctomys  and 
sciurus,  among  the  smaller  quadrupeds,  and  in  the  departments  of 
birds  and  reptilia.  The  mode  of  travel  gave  but  little  opportunity 
of  meeting  the  larger  species  in  their  native  haunts,  but  it  afforded 
opportunities  of  examining  the  skins  of  the  quadrupeds  at  the 
several  trading  stations,  and  of  listening  to  the  narrations  of  per- 
sons who  had  engaged  in  their  capture. 

In  effect,  the  Crustacea  of  the  streams  furnished  the  most  con- 
stant and  affluent  subject  for  enlarging  the  boundaries  of  species 
and  varieties.  The  collections  in  this  department  were  referred 
to  members  of  the  Lyceum  of  Natural  History  at  New  York,  and 
of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  at  Philadelphia.     The  results 


APPENDIX,  409 

of  their  examinations  have  been  published  in  two  of  the  principal 
scientific  journals  of  the  country.  It  had  been  originally  proposed, 
to  republish  these  papers  in  this  Appendix,  together  with  that 
on  the  botanical  collections,  and  some  other  topics ;  but  the  long 
time  that  has  elapsed,  renders  it,  on  second  thought,  inexpedient. 
Distinct  references  to  the  several  papers  are  given. 

XII. 

A  Letter  embracing  Notices  of  the  Zoology  of  the  Northwest. 
By  Henry  E.  Schoolckaft. 

Vernon,  N.  Y.,  October  27,  1820. 

Dear  Sir  :  I  reached  this  place,  on  my  return  from  the  sources 
of  the  Mississippi  River,  on  the  21st  instant,  having  left  the  canal 
at  Oneida  Creek  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  whence  I  footed 
it  three  miles  through  the  forest,  by  a  very  muddy  road,  to  the 
ancient  location  of  Oneida  Castle,  while  my  baggage  was  carried 
by  a  man  on  horseback. 

The  plan  of  the  expedition  embraced  the  circumnavigation  of 
the  coasts  of  Lakes  Huron,  Michigan,  and  Superior.  From  the 
head  of  the  latter,  we  ascended  the  rapid  Eiver  of  St.  Louis  to  a 
summit  which  descends  west  to  the  Upper  Mississippi,  the  waters 
of  which  we  entered  about  five  hundred  miles  above  the  Falls  of 
St.  Anthony,  and  some  three  hundred  miles  above  the  ulterior 
point  reached  with  boats  by  Lieutenant  Pike  in  December,  1805, 

From  this  point  we  ascended  the  Mississippi,  by  its  involutions, 
to  its  upper  falls  at  Pakagama,  w^here  it  dashes  over  a  rock  form- 
ation. A  vast  plateau  of  grass  and  aquatic  plants  succeeds, 
through  which  it  winds  as  in  a  labyrinth.  On  this  plateau  we 
encountered  and  passed  across  the  southern  Lake  Winnipek. 
Beyond  this,  the  stream  appears  to  be  but  little  diminished,  unless 
it  be  in  its  depth.  It  is  eventually  traced  to  a  very  large  lake 
called  Upper  Lac  Ceder  Pouge,  but  to  which  we  applied  the  name 
of  Cass  Lake.  This  is  the  apparent  navigable  source  of  the  river, 
and  was  our  terminal  point.     It  lies  in  latitude  47°  25'  23". 

The  whole  of  this  summit  of  the  continent  is  a  vast  formation 
of  drift  and  boulders,  deposited  in  steps.  In  descending  it,  we 
found  the  river  crossed  by  the  primitive  rocks  in  latitude  about 
46°,  and  it  enters  the  great  limestone  formation  by  the  cataract  of 


410  APPENDIX. 

St.  Anthony's  Falls,  in  latitude  44°  58'  40".  We  descended  the 
river  below  this  point,  by  its  windings  among  high  and  picturesque 
cliffs,  to  the  influx  of  the  Wisconsin,  estimated  to  be  three  hun- 
dred miles.  Thence  we  came  through  the  Wisconsin  and  Fox 
valleys  to  Green  Bay,  on  an  arm  of  Lake  Michigan,  and,  having 
circumnavigated  the  latter,  returned  through  Lakes  Huron  and 
St.  Clair  to  Detroit.  The  line  of  travel  is  about  four  thousand 
two  hundred  miles.  Such  a  country — for  its  scenery,  its  magnifi- 
cence, and  resources,  and  the  strong  influence  it  is  destined  ulti- 
mately to  have  on  the  commerce,  civilization,  and  progress  of  the 
country — the  sun  does  not  shine  on !  Its  topography,  latitudes 
and  longitudes,  heights  and  distances,  have  been  accurately  ob- 
tained by  Captain  Douglass,  of  West  Point,  who  will  prepare  an 
elaborate  map  and  description  of  the  country. 

Personally,  I  have  not  been  idle.  If  I  have  sat  sometimes,  in 
mute  wonder,  gazing  on  such  scenes  as  the  Pictured  Eocks  of 
Lake  Superior,  or  the  sylvan  beauty  and  mixed  abruptness  of  the 
Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  it  has  been  but  the  idleness  of  admiration. 
I  have  kept  my  note-book,  my  sketch-book,  and  my  pencil  in  my 
hands,  early  and  late;  nor  have  once,  during  the  whole  journey, 
transferred  myself,  at  an  early  hour,  from  the  camp-fire  or  pallet 
to  the  canoe,  merely  to  recompose  myself  again  to  sleep.  If  the 
mineralogy  or  geology  of  the  country  often  presented  little  to  note, 
the  scenery,  or  the  atmosphere,  or  that  lone  human  boulder,  the 
American  Indian,  did.  The  evidences  of  the  existence  of  copper 
in  the  basin  of  Lake  Superior  are  ample.  There  is  every  indica- 
tion of  its  abundance  that  the  geologist  could  wish.  Nature 
here  has  operated  on  a  grand  scale.  By  means  of  volcanic  fires, 
she  has  infused  into  the  trap-rocks  veins  of  melted  metal,  which 
not  inaptly  represent  the  arteries  of  the  human  system ;  for 
wherever  the  broken-down  shores  of  this  lake  are  examined,  they 
disclose,  not  the  sulphurets  and  carbonates  of  this  ore,  but  frag- 
m.ents  and  lumps  of  virgin  veins.  These,  the  winds  and  waves 
have  scattered  far  and  wide. 

But  what,  you  will  ask,  can  be  reported  of  its  quadrupeds, 
birds,  reptilia,  and  general  zoology?  Have  you  measured  the 
height  and  length  of  the  mastodon — "the  great  bull" — who  the 
Indians  told  Mr.  Jefferson  resisted  the  thunderbolts,  and  leaped 


APPENDIX.  411 

over  the  great  lakes?*  Truly,  I  beg  you  to  spare  mc  on  this 
head.     You  are  aware  that  we  had  no  professed  zoologist. 

I  herewith  inclose  you  a  list  of  such  animals  as  came  particu- 
larly under  our  notice.  Imperfect  as  it  is,  it  will  give  you  the 
general  facts.  The  dried  and  stuffed  skins  of  such  species  as 
were  deemed  to  be  undescribed,  or  were  otherwise  worthy  atten- 
tion, will  be  transmitted  for  description.  Among  these  is  a  species 
of  squirrel,  of  peculiar  character,  from  the  vicinity  of  St.  Peter's, 
together  with  a  species  of  mus,  a  burrowing  animal,  which  is 
very  destructive  to  vegetation.  This  appears  to  be  the  hamster 
of  Georgia.  Of  the  larger  class  of  quadrupeds,  we  met,  in  the 
forest  traversed,  the  black  bear,  deer,  elk,  and  buffalo.  The 
latter  we  encountered  in  large  numbers,  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  above  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  about  latitude  45°,  on 
the  east  bank  of  the  river.  We  landed  for  the  chase,  and  had  a 
full  opportunity  of  observing  its  size,  color,  gait,  and  general 
appearance. 

Great  interest  was  imparted  to  portions  of  the  tour  by  the 
ornithology  of  the  country,  and  it  only  required  the  interest  and 
skill  in  this  line  of  a  Wilson  or  an  Audubon,  to  have  not  only 
identified,  but  also  added  to  the  list  of  species.f 

The  geological  character  of  the  country  has  been  found  highly 
interesting.  The  primitive  rocks  rise  up  in  high  orbicular  groups 
on  the  banks  of  Lake  Superior.  The  interstices  between  groups 
are  filled  up  with  coarse  red,  gray,  or  mottled  sandstone,  which 
lies,  generally,  in  a  horizontal  position,  but  is  sometimes  waved 
or  raised  up  vertically.  Yolcanic  fires  have  played  an  important 
part  here.  I  have  been  impressed  with  the  fact  that  the  granitical 
series  are  generally  deficient  in  mica,  its  place  being  supplied  by 
hornblende.  Indeed,  the  rock  is  more  truly  sienite,  very  little 
true  granite  being  found,  and,  in  these  cases,  it  is  in  the  form  of 
veins  or  beds  in  the  sienite. 

There  have  also  been  great  volcanic  fires  and  upliftings  under 
the  sources  of  the  Mississippi.     Greenstone  and  trap  are  piled  up 

*  Notes  on  Virginia. 

f  The  only  addition  to  ornithology  -which  it  fell  to  my  lot  to  make,  "was  in  the 
grosbeck  family,  and  this  occurred  after  I  came  to  return  to  St.  Mary's.  Mr.  Wm. 
Cooper  has  called  the  new  species  fringilia  vespertina,  from  the  supposition  that 
it  sings  during  the  evening.  The  Chippewas  call  this  species  paushkuudamo,  from 
its  thick  and  penetrating  bill. 


412  APPENDIX. 

in  huge  boulders.  Tlie  most  elevated  rock,  in  place,  on  the 
sources  of  the  Mississippi,  is  found  to  be  quartzite.  This  is  at 
the  Falls  of  Pakagama.  In  coming  down  the  Mississippi,  soon 
after  passing  the  latitude  of  46°,  the  river  is  found  to  have  its 
bed  on  greenstones  and  sienites,  till  reaching  near  to  the  Falls  of 
St.  Anthony,  where  the  great  western  horizontal  limestone  series 
begins.  To  facilitate  the  study  of  the  latter,  opportunities  were 
sought  of  detecting  its  imbedded  forms  of  organic  life,  but  their 
infrequency,  and  the  rapid  mode  of  our  journeying,  was  averse 
to  much  success  in  this  line  without  the  boundaries  of  the  great 
lake  basins. 

lu  the  department  of  mineralogy,  I  have  not  as  brilliant  a  col- 
lection as  I  brought  from  Potosi  in  1819 — but,  nevertheless,  one 
of  value — the  country  explored  being  a  wilderness,  and  very  little 
labor  having  been  applied  in  excavations.  Among  the  objects 
secuijed,  I  have  fine  specimens  of  the  various  forms  of  native 
copper  and  its  ores,  together  with  crystallized  sulphurets  of  lead, 
zinc,  and  iron;  native  muriate  of  soda,  graphite,  sulphate  of  lime, 
and  strontian,  and  the  attractive  forms  which  the  species  of  the 
quartz  family  assume,  in  the  shore  debris  of  the  lakes,  under  the 
names  of  agate,  carneiian,  &c.  The  whole  will  be  prepared  and 
elaborately  reported  to  the  Department. 

I  found  the  freshwater  shells  of  this  region  to  be  a  very  attract- 
ive theme  of  observation  in  places 

"Where  tlie  tiger  steals  along, 
And  the  dread  Indian  chants  his  dismal  song;" 

where,  indeed,  there  was  scarcely  anything  else  to  attract  atten- 
tion; and  I  have  collected  a  body  of  bivalves,  which  will  be  for- 
warded to  our  mutual  friend,  Dr.  Mitchell,  for  description.  Indeed, 
the  present  communication  is  designed,  after  you  have  perused 
it,  to  pass  under  his  eye.  No  one  in  our  scientific  ranks  is  more 
alive  to  the  progress  of  discovery  in  all  its  physical  branches. 
Governor  Clinton,  in  one  of  his  casual  letters,  has  very  happily 
denominated  him  the  Delphic  oracle,  for  all  who  have  a  question 
to  ask  come  to  him,  and  his  scientific  memory  and  research,  in 
books,  old  and  new,  are  such,  that  it  must  be  a  hard  question  in- 
deed which  he  cannot  solve. 

!Next  to  him,  as  an  expounder  of  knowledge,  you,  my  dear  sir, 


APPENDIX 


413 


as  the  representative  of  the  corjjs  ediiorial,  take  your  place.  For, 
if  it  is  the  writer  of  books  who  truly  increases  information,  every 
decade's  experience  more  and  more  convinces  me  that  it  is  the 
editor  of  a  diurnal  journal  who  diffuses  it,  by  his  brief  critical 
notices,  or  by  giving  a  favorable  or  unfavorable  impetus  to  public 
opinion. 

I  am  expected,  I  find,  to  publish  my  private  narrative  of  the 
expedition,  to  serve  at  least — if  I  may  say  so — as  a  stay  to  popu- 
lar expectation,  until  the  more  matured  results  can  be  duly 
elaborated.  I  am  taking  breath  here,  among  my  friends,  for  a 
few  days,  and  shall  be  greatly  governed  by  your  judgment  in 
the  matter,  after  my  arrival  at  Albany. 
I  am,  sir, 

With  sincere  respect, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

HENKY  E.  SCHOOLCRAFT. 
To  Nathaxiel  H.  Carter,  Esq.,  Albany. 


List  of  Quadrupedsj  Birds,  &c.  observed. 
The  identification  of  species  in  this  list,  by  giving  the  Indian  name,  is  herein  fixed. 


ENGLISH  NAME. 

INDIAN  (ALGONQUIN)   NAME. 

SCIENTIFIC  NAME. 

Buffalo, 

Pe-zhik-i,* 

Bos  Americanus.     Gm. 

Elk, 

Mush-kos, 

Cervus  Canadensis.     L. 

Deer  (common), 

Wa-vfash-ka-shi, 

Cervus  Virginianus.      Gm. 

Moose, 

Moz, 

Cervus  alces.     L. 

Black  Bear, 

Muk-wah, 

Ursus  Americanus.      Gm. 

Wolf  (gray), 

My-een-gan, 

Canis  vulpes.     L. 

■Wolverine, 

Gwin-gwe-au-ga,-}- 

Ursus  luscus.     L. 

Fox  (red), 

"VVau-goosh, 

Canis  vulpes.     L. 

Badger, 

Ak-kuk-o-jeesh, 

Meles  labradoria.     C. 

Fox  (black), 

Muk-wau-goosh, 

Canis  argenteus.      C. 

Muskrat, 

Wau-zhusk, 

Fiber  vulgaris.     C. 

Martin, 

Wau-be-zha-si, 

Mustela  mortes.     L.  cj-  B. 

Fisher, 

0-jeeg, 

Mustek  Pennanti.    C.     Am. 
ed.,  app.  V. 

Beaver, 

Am-ik, 

Castor  fiber.     B. 

Otter, 

Ne-gik, 

Lutra  vulgaris.     L. 

Porcupine, 

Kaug, 

Hystrix  cristata.     C. 

*  This  animal  was  found  grazing  the  prairies  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi, 
about  latitude  40°  30'. 
•j-  Means  under-ground  drummer. 


414 


APPENDIX. 


ENGLISH  NAME. 

Raccoon, 

Hare, 

Polecat, 

Squirrel  (red), 

Squirrel  (ground  or 
striped). 

Squirrel  (an  apparently 
new  species). 

Pouched  Rat  or  Hamster, 

Weasel, 

Mink, 

Jerboa,  called  the  Jump- 
ing Mouse,* 

Eagle  (bald). 

Fork-tailed  Hawk, 

Chicken  Hawk, 

Pigeon  Hawk, 

Raven, 

Crow, 

Magpie, 

Cormorant, 

Pelican, 

Goose, 

Brant, 

Duck  (d.  and  m.). 

Duck  (saV-bill), 

Duck  (Red-head  or  Fall), 

Duck  (alewives). 

Swan, 

Heron, 

Plover, 

Turkey, 

Blackbird, 

Rail, 

Jay  (blue), 

Whippoorwill, 

Robin, 


INDIAN  (Algonquin)  name. 
Ais-e-bun  (from  ais,  a  shell, 

and  bun,  past  tense), 
Wau~bose, 
She-kaug, 
Ad-je-dah-mo, 

Ah-gwing-woos, 


No-naw-pau-je-ne-ka-si, 

Shin-gwoos, 

Shong-waish-ke, 


Mik-a-zi,f 

Ca-niew, 

Cha-mees, 

Pe-pe-ge-wa-zains, 

Kaw-gaw-ge, 

On-daig, 

Wau-bish-kau-gau-gi  (White 
Raven), J 

Kau-kau-ge-sheeb    (Raven- 
duck), 

Shay-ta, 

Wa-wa, 

Ne-kuh, 

Shee-sheeb  (a  generic  term), 

On-zig, 

Misquon-dib, 

Ah-ahwa. 

Wau-bis-si, 

Moosh-kow-e-si, 

Tchwi-tchwish-ke-wa, 

Mis-is-sa, 

Os-sig-in-ok, 

Muk-ud-a-pe-nais, 

Dain-da-si,§ 

Paish-kwa, 

0-pee-chi. 


SCIENTIFIC  NAME. 

Procyon  lotor.     C 
Lepus  Americanus.     Gm. 
Mephites  putorius.     Cu. 
Sciurus  vulgaris.     C. 

Sciurus  striatus.     C. 


Mus  busarius.  Shatv. 
Mustela  vulgaris.  L. 
Mustela  lutreola.     C. 

Dipus.     C, 

F.  lucocephulus.     L. 

F.  furcatus.     L. 

F.  communis.     C. 

F.  columbarius.      Wilson. 

Corvus  corax.     L. 

C.  corone.     L. 

C.  pica.     L. 

P.  carbe.     Brin. 

P.  onocrotalus.     Illig. 

An.  anser.     L. 

An.  bernicla.      Wilson. 

Anas. 

A.  tadorna.     C. 

A.  rufus.      Gm. 

A.  cygnus.     C. 
Ardea.      C. 
Charadrius.     C. 
Meleagris.     C. 
The  red-winged  species. 

Garrulus.     C. 
Caprimulgas.     L. 
T.  migratorius.     L. 


*  Found  at  Lapointe,  Lake  Superior. 

I  This  is  a  generic  term  for  the  eagle  family.  It  is  believed  the  kanieu,  or  black 
eagle,  is  regarded  by  them  as  the  head  of  the  family.  The  feathers  of  the  falco 
furcatus  are  highly  valued  by  warriors. 

J  The  meaning  is  white  raven. 

§  The  term  is  from  dain-da,  a  bullfrog. 


APPENDIX. 

ENGLISH  NAME. 

INDIAN   (ALGONQUIN)  NAME, 

SCIENTIFIC  NAME, 

Kingfisher, 

Me-je-ge-gwun-a, 

Alcedo.     C. 

Pigeon, 

O-mee-mi, 

Columba  emigratoria. 

Partridge, 

Pe-na,* 

Tetrao.     C. 

Crane, 

Ad-je-jawk, 

Crane  family. 

Gull, 

Ky-aushk, 

Gull  family. 

Woodpecker, 

Wa-ma, 

Picus.     C. 

Snipe, 

Pah-dus-kau-unzli-i, 

Scolipax.     C. 

Owl, 

Ko-ko-ko-o,f 

■\  Generic      terms      for 
/      species. 

Loon, 

Mong, 

415 


the 


Mocking-bird  (seen  as  far 
north  as  Michilimacinac), 
Sturgeon,  Na-ma, 

Sturgeon  (paddle-nose),    Ab-we-on-na-ma, 


Whitefish, 

Salmon  trout, 

Trout  (speckled). 

Carp, 

Catfish, 

Bass, 

Tulibee, 

Eel, 

Snake, 

Snake, 

Turtle  (lake), 

Turtle  (small  land), 


Ad-ik-um-aigJ    (means   deer 

of  the  water). 
Na-ma-gwoos, 
Na-zhe-ma-gwoos, 
Nam-a-bin, 
Miz-zi, 
0-gau. 

O-diin-a-bee  (wet-mouth). 
Pe-miz-zi  (a  specific  term). 
Ke-n^-bik  (a  generic), 
A  species  supposed  peculiar, 
Mik-e-nok, 
Mis-qua-dais, 


T.  polyglotis.      'Wilson. 
Acipenser.     L. 
Acipenser  spatularia. 


■>  Salmo.     L. 

Denotes  the  red  fin. 

Silurus.      G. 

The  striped  species. 

A  specific  term. 
I  Ophidia.     C. 

\  Chelonia.     C. 


Philological  Note. — Three  of  these  fifty-seven  terms  of  Indian  nomenclature  are 
monosyllables,  and  twenty-four  dissyllables.  The  latter  are  compounds,  as  in  muk- 
wah  (black  animal),  and  wau-bose  (white  little  animal) ;  and  it  is  inferable  that  all 
the  names  over  a  single  syllable  are  compounds.  Thus,  aisebun  (raccoon),  is  from 
ais,  a  shell,  and  the  term  past  tense  of  verbs  in  bun. 


XIII. 

Species  of  Bivalves  collected  in  the  Northiuest^  hy  Mr.  Schoolcraft  and 
Captain  Douglass.,  on  the  Expedition  to  the  Sources  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, in  1820.     By  D.  U.  Barnes. 

This  paper,  by  whicli  a  new  impulse  was  given  to  the  study  of 
our  freshwater  conchology,  and  many  species  were  added  to  the 
list  of  discoveries,  was  published  in  two  papers,  to  be  found  in 

*  This  is  the  prairie  grouse  of  the  West, 
f  The  name  is  generic  for  the  owl  family. 
J  This  term  arises  from  adik,  a  reindeer,  and  gumaig^  waters. 


416  APPENDIX. 

tbe  pages  of  SilUmati's  American  Journal  of  Science,  vol.  vi.  pp. 
120,  259. 

XIV. 

Freshwater  Shells  collected  iyi  the  Valleys  of  the  Fox  and  Wisconsin, 
in  1820,  hy  Mr.  Schoolcraft.  By  Isaac  Lea,  Member  American 
Philosophical  Society. 

A  description  of  these  shells,  in  which  several  new  species  are 
established,  was  published  by  the  ingenious  conchologist,  Mr.  I. 
Lea,  of  Philadelphia,  in  the  Trcmsactions  of  the  American  Philoso- 
phical Society  J  vol.  v.  p.  37,  Plate  III,,  &c. 

XV. 

Summary  Remarl<:s  resjjecting  the  Zoology  of  the  Northwest  noticed  hy 
the  Expedition  to  the  Sources  of  the  Mississippi  in  1820.  By  Dr. 
Samuel  L.  Mitchell. 

The  squirrel  [from  the  vicinity  of  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony],  is 
a  species  not  heretofore  described,  and  has  been  named  sciurus 
tredecem  striatus,  or  the  federation  squirrel.     (A.) 

The  pouched  rat,  or  mus  husarius,  has  been  seen  but  once  in 
Europe.  This  was  a  specimen  sent  to  the  British  Museum  from 
Canada,  and  described  by  Dr.  Shaw.  But  its  existence  is  rather 
questioned  by  Chev.  Cuvier.  Both  animals  have  been  described, 
and  the  descriptions  published  in  the  21st  vol.  of  the  Medical  Be- 
pository,  of  New  York,  pp.  248,  249.  The  specimens  [from  the 
West]  are  both  preserved  in  my  museum.  Drawings  have  been 
executed  by  the  distinguished  artist  Milbert,  and  forwarded  by 
him,  at  my  request,  to  the  administrators  of  the  King's  Museum, 
at  Paris,  of  which  he  is  a  corresponding  member.  My  descrip- 
tions accompany  them.  The  animals  are  retained  as  too  valuable 
to  be  sent  out  of  the  country.     [B.] 

The  paddle-fish  is  the  spatularia  of  Shaw,  sca^  poly  don  of  Lace- 
pede.  It  lives  in  the  Mississippi  only,  and  the  skeleton,  though 
incomplete,  is  better  than  any  other  person  here  possesses.  It  is 
carefully  preserved  in  my  collection. 

The  serpent  is  a  species  of  the  ophalian  genus  anguis,  the  oveto 
of  the  French,  and  the  blind  worm  of  the  English.  The  loss  of 
the  tail  of  this  fragile  creature  renders  an  opinion  a  little  dubious; 


APPENDIX.  417 

but  it  is  supposed  to  be  opthiosaureus  of  Dandrige,  corresponding 
to  the  anguis  ventralis  of  Linnceus,  figured  by  Catesby. 

The  shells  afford  a  rich  amount  of  an  undescribed  species.  The 
whole  of  the  univalves  and  bivalves  received  from  Messrs.  School- 
craft and  Douglass  have  been  assembled  and  examined,  with  all 
I  possessed  before,  and  with  Mr.  Stacy  Collins's  molluscas  brought 
from  the  Ohio.  Mr.  Barnes  is  charged  with  describing  and  de- 
lineating all  the  species  not  contained  in  Mr.  Say's  Memoir  of  the 
Productions  of  the  Land  and  Fresh  Waters  of  North  America.  The 
finished  work  will  be  laid  before  the  Lyceum,  and  finally  be 
printed  in  Mr.  Silliman's  Neio  Haven  Journal.  The  species  by 
which  geology  will  be  enriched  will  amount,  probably,  to  nine  or 
ten.  (C.)  We  shall  endeavor  to  be  just  to  our  friends  and  bene- 
factors. S.  L.  MITCHELL. 

For  Gov.  Cass. 

Notes. 

(A.) 

An  animal  similar,  in  some  respects,  has  been  subsequently 
found  on  the  Straits  of  St.  Mary's,  Michigan,  a  specimen  of  the 
dried  skin  of  which  I  presented  to  the  National  Institute  at 
Washington ;  but,  from  the  absence  of  the  head  bones  and  teeth, 
it  is  not  easy  to  determine  whether  it  is  a  sciurus,  or  arctomys. 

(B.) 

The  duplicature  of  the  cheeks  of  this  animal  having  been  ex- 
tended outivardhj  in  drying  the  skin,  was  left  in  its  rigid  state, 
giving  it  an  unnatural  appearance,  which  doubtless  led  to  the  in- 
credulity of  Cuvier  when  he  saw  the  figure  and  description  of  Dr. 
Shaw.  Dr.  Mitchell  was  led  to  a  similar  error  of  opinion,  at  first, 
as  to  the  natural  position  of  these  bags ;  but  afterwards,  when  the 
matter  was  explained  to  him,  corrected  this  mistaken  notion. 

(C.) 

By  reference  to  the  descriptions  of  Mr.  Barnes  and  Mr.  Lea, 
recited  above,  the  number  will  be  seen  to  have  exceeded  this 
estimate. 

XVI. 

Mas  Busarius.     Vide  Medical  Repositor]]^  vol.  xxi.  p.  248. 
27 


418 


APPENDIX. 


XVII. 


Sciurus  Tredecem  Striates.    Medical  Repository^  vol,  xxi. 


XVIII. 


Proteus.     American  Journal  of  Science^  vol.  iv. 


6.  METEOROLOGY. 


XIX. 

Memoranda  of  Climaiic  Phenomena  and  the  Distribution  of  Solar 
Heat  in  1820.    By  Henry  E.  Schoolcraft. 

The  influence  of  solar  heat  on  the  quantity  of  water  which  is 
discharged  from  the  great  table  lands  which  give  origin  to  the 
sources  of  the  Mississippi  was  such,  during  the  summer  months 
of  1820,  that,  on  reaching  those  altitudes  in  latitude  but  a  few 
minutes  north  of  47°,  on  the  21st  of  July,  it  was  found  impracti- 
cable to  proceed  higher  in  tracing  out  its  sources.  Attention  had 
been  directed  to  the  phenomena  of  temperatures,  clouds,  evapora- 
tions, and  solar  influences,  from  the  opening  of  the  year,  but  they 
were  not  prosecuted  with  all  the  advantages  essential  to  general- 
ization. Still,  some  of  the  details  noticed  merit  attention  as  meteo- 
rological memoranda  which  may  be  interesting  in  future  researches 
of  this  kind,  and  it  is  with  no  higher  view  that  these  selections 
are  made. 

Observations  made  at  Geneva,  iV!  I^. 


1820. 

7  A.  M. 

1  p.  M. 

7  P.  M. 

REMARKS. 

April  20     . 

64° 

73° 

60° 

Clear. 

'«     21     . 

62 

74 

61 

Clear, 

"     22     , 

65 

78 

66 

Clear. 

"     23     . 

60 

69 

59 

Clear, 

"     24     . 

59 

70 

61 

Clear, 

"     25     , 

54 

64 

55 

Clear, 

•'     26     . 

55 

67 

54 

Cloudy,  witli  rain 

"     27     . 

50 

60 

51 

Rainy. 

"     28     . 

64 

Clear, 

APPENDIX. 


419 


Observations  made  at  Buffalo,  X.  Y. 


1820. 

8  A.  M. 

2  P.  M. 

HESLUIKS. 

April  30   . 

.     43° 

00° 

Clear. 

May      1    . 

.     49 

04 

Clear. 

"       2   . 

.     45 

63 

Clear. 

"       3   . 

.     44 

05 

Clear. 

"       4   . 

.     46 

79 

Cloudy. 

"       5   . 

.     40 

68 

Cloudy,  with  rain 

"       6   . 

.     44 

Cloudy. 

These  places  are  but  ninety  miles  apart,  yet  such  is  the  in- 
fluence of  the  lake  winds  on  the  temperature  of  the  latter  position, 
that  it  denotes  an  atmospheric  depression  of  temperature  of  5°. 
At  the  same  time,  the  range  between  the  maximum  and  minimum 
was  exactly  the  same. 

Observations  made  at  Detroit. 


1S20. 

8  A.  M. 

12  m. 

6  p.  M. 

REMAKES. 

WINP. 

May  15 

50° 

61° 

51° 

Fair. 

N.  E. 

"    16 

49 

62 

50 

Fair. 

N.  E. 

"    17 

50 

64 

51 

Fair. 

N.  E. 

"    18 

52 

64 

60 

Fair. 

N.  E. 

"    19 

60 

68 

60 

Fair. 

N.  E. 

"    20 

64 

68 

63 

Fair. 

N.  E. 

"    21 

67 

82 

66 

Fair. 

S.  W. 

"    22, 

64 

88 

82 

Fair. 

S.  W. 

«'    23, 

72 

84 

76 

Cloudy, 

s(«ne  rain. 

W.  N.  W 

"    24 

53 

64 

Cloudy. 

N.  W. 

The  average  temperature  of  this  place  for  May  is  denoted  to 
be  some  five  or  six  degrees  higher  while  the  wind  remained  at 
N.  E.,  but  on  its  changing  to  S.  W.  (on  the  21st),  the  temperature 
ran  up  four  degrees  at  once.  As  soon  as  it  changed  to  IST.  W.  (on 
the  24th),  the  thermometer  fell  from  its  range  on  the  21st  four- 
teen degrees. 

The  uncommon  beauty  and  serenity  of  the  Michigan  autumns, 
and  the  mildness  of  its  winters,  have  often  been  the  subject  of 
remark.  By  a  diary  of  the  weather  kept  by  a  gentleman  in 
Detroit,  in  the  summer  and  fall  of  1816,  from  the  24th  of  July  to 
the  22d  of  October,  making  eighty-nine  days,  it  appears  that 

57  were  fair, 

12  cloudy,  and 

20  showery  and  rainy. 


420 


APPENDIX. 


By  a  diary  kept  at  the  garrison  of  Detroit  (Fort  Slielby),  agree- 
able to  orders  from  the  War  Department,  from  the  15th  of  Nov. 
1818,  to  the  28th  of  Feb.  1819,  making  105  days, 

40  of  them  are  marked  "clear," 

40  "cloudy," 

13  "  clear  and  cloudy,"  and 

12  "  cloudy,  with  rain  or  snow." 
By  Fahrenheit's  thermometer,  kept  at  the  same  place,  and  under 
the  same  direction,  it  appears  that  the  medium  temperature  of 
the  atmosphere  was  agreeable  to  the  following  statement : — 


7  A.  M. 


P.  M.       Average.       Lowest  deg.     Highest  deg 


Nov.  13  to  30, 

41° 

47° 

41° 

43° 

31° 

58° 

December, 

*">2 

29 

25 

25 

2 

50 

January, 

30 

31 

30 

30 

10 

58 

February, 

29 

39 

31 

33 

8 

58 

Prevailing  winds,  S.  W.  and  N.  W. 
Ohservations  on  Lake  and  River  St.  Clair,  Michigan. 


1820.               6  A.  M.      8  A.  M.        12  M. 

2  P.  M.      6  p.  M.        8  P.  M.                          EEMARKS. 

May  24,         

51° 

"    25,        47°       56°       56° 

46°        ...         Clear.     Wind  N.  W 

"    26,        ...         52        53 

56°       45         ...         Clear.     Wind  N.  W 

"    27,        ...         54        55 

44        Clear.     Wind  N.  W 

Temperature  of  the  Water  of  Lake  and  River  St.  Clair. 

May  25,              at  6  a.  m.,  49° 

at  12  M.,     54° 

"    26,              at  8  A.  M.,  55 

at  2  p.  M.,  55 

«'    27,              at  8  A.  M.,  54 

at  12  M.,     55              at  8  p.m.,  50° 

Ohservations  on  Lake  Huron. 


05 

■< 

JO 

■i    s 

rH        Cq 

a 

CO 

g 

p^ 

REMARKS. 

May  28 
"    29 

"    30 

"    31 

June  1 

"     2 
"      3 
"     4 

«      5 
"     6 

40° 

50° 
52 

48 

54° 
44 

46 
49 

54° 
57 

51 

61° 

53° 

53 
55 

57 

57 

55° 

70° 
61 

54° 

49° 

53° 

44 
46 

48° 

48 

54 

50 

47 

45 

44° 

51° 
55 

49 

53 

54 

521 

52i 

49 

491 
oOi 

Clear.    Wind  N.  W. 

Clear  in  the  morning ;  iu  the  after- 
noon high  wind  from  N.  W.  with 
thunder  and  liijhtuing. 

Clear.    Wind  high;  N.'W. 

Cloudy,  with  rain.    Wind  strong; 
N.  W. 

Flying  clouds.  Wind  strong :  N.  W. 
Clear.    Wind  strong;  N.  W. 

1 

51 6-10 

Average  temperature  of  the  air. 

APPENDIX. 


421 


Wate)'  at  Lake  Iluron. 


May  28, 

at  5  A. 

M. 

55° 

at  12  A. 

M. 

58° 

at  7  p. 

M. 

5G° 

Average 
56° 

"    29, 

at  7  A. 

M. 

51 

at  12  A. 

M. 

60 

at  7  p. 

M. 

63 

69 

June   1, 

at  5  A. 

M. 

42 

at  11  A. 

M. 

52 

at  7  p. 

M. 

44 

40 

"      3, 

at  6  A. 

M. 

46 

at    2  p. 

M. 

56 

at  8  p. 

M. 

46 

47 

"      6, 

at  8  A. 

M. 

50 

at  12  A. 

M. 

52 

at  6  p. 

M. 

49 

50J 

Observations  at  Michilimaclcinac  and  on  the  Straits  of  St.  Mark's. 


1S20. 

s 

s 

s 

s 

E 

s 

s 

t 

WEATHER. 

WIND. 

< 

< 

<: 

b 

Ph 

e^ 

Oi 

'''  S) 

o 

» 

Cl 

^ 

o 

^ 

o 

■<  « 

June    7 

59° 

61° 

59° 

59i° 

Clear. 

W.  N.  W. 

"       8 

59 

64° 

... 

59 

60 

Clear. 

W.  N.  W. 

"       9 

53 

53° 

52^ 

Cloudy  with  rain 

'«     10 

55" 

60 

54 

56 

Cloudy  with  rain 

\W. 

"     11 

52 

54 

51 

52 

Clear. 

S.  E. 

"     12 

54 

... 

55 

... 

52 

53 

Clear. 

S.  E. 

"     13 

53° 

... 

63 

... 

•  •• 

58 

58 

Fair. 

S.  W. 

"     14 

55 

73 

57 

61 

Cloudy. 

S.  W. 

"     15 

66 

... 

68 

62 

65 

Clear. 

S.  W.    )      J" 

"     16 

... 

52 

7*6 

82 

66 

69 

Clear. 

l:Z:  Hi 

«'     17 

58 

82 

78 

74 

Clear. 

"     18 

56 

76 

68 

06 

Cloudy;  rain. 

N.  W. 

The  chief  conclusion  to  be  drawn,  is  the  extreme  fluctuations 
of  winds  and  temperatures,  in  these  exposed  positions  on  the 
open  lakes. 

Observatio7is  on  Lake  Superior. 


1820. 

■i 

< 
o 
72 

65 

• 

< 

to 
55 

70 

< 

o 

60 
57 

s 

00 

o 

58 

68 
74 
79 

61 

< 
o 

69 
76 

61 

o 
o 

65 
75 

< 
o 

62 

■■ 

o 
75 

68 
74 

84 

78 

91 
94 

b 

M 
O 

76 

?? 

75 
76 

o 
63 

66 

o 
80 

o 

68 

o 
72 
71 

70 

60 

69 
74 

68 
65 
52 

o 

49 

63 

86 

s 

o 

68 

60 

65 
61 

5 

3-. 
0 

50 
53 

o 
o 

o 

70i 
71i 

62 

55J 

67  i 

63 

62i 

73 

69 

79i 

|8 

73 

67i 

70 

65 

June  19 

"    20 

«    21 
"    22 
«    23 
«    24 
"    25 
«    26 
"    27 
«    28 
«    29 
"    30 
July    1 
«      2 
"      3 

«      4 

o 

54 
70 

Stormy  and  rain.    Wind  N.  W. 
Stormy  and  rain.    Wind  N.  W. 

Hurricane  at  night. 
Calm. 

Clear.    Wind  light  from  N.  W. 
Clear.    Wind  S.  E. 
Clear.    High  wind,  N.  W. 
Clear.    Wind  N.  W. 
Rainy.     Wind  W.  X.  W. 
Clear.    Wind  E.  N.  E.    (Fair!) 
Sky  clear.    Wind  N.  W. 
Clear.  Wind  N.  W. 
Clear.    Wind  N.  W. 
Misty.     Wind  li;.'ht  at  N.  N.  W. 
Clear.    Wind  W.  S.  W. 
Cloudy,  mist,  and  rain.    Wind 

S.  s.  w. 

Wind  S.  S.  W. 


422 


APPENDIX. 


Temperature  of  Lalce  Superior. 


Lake. 

average, 

June 

20, 

at 

6  p.  M., 

55° 

55° 

" 

21, 

at  10  A.  M., 

60 

at    6  p.  M., 

56°     at    9  p.  M., 

56° 

57 

a 

22 

at 

6  a.  m., 

,  56 

at    3  p.  M., 

,  54 

55 

<< 

23, 

at 

5  A.  M., 

,52 

at  12  a.  m., 

,  56      at  10 P.M., 

64 

57 

»' 

24, 

at 

6  p.m., 

54 

at    7  p.  M., 

51 

53 

u 

25, 

at 

7  A.  M., 

,  67 

at  11  a.  m.. 

,66      at   9  P.  M., 

68 

60 

<' 

26, 

at 

9  A.  M., 

,  56 

at    8  p.  M., 

.  57 

56 

" 

27, 

at 

8  A.  M., 

,  57 

at    6  p.  M., 

,  62 

60 

" 

28, 

at 

8  A.  M.. 

,  Superior      62° 
Ontonagon  54 

at  6  p.  M.,  Lake 
River 

72 
71 

1 

J 

67 

" 

29, 

at 

8  A.  M. 

,  Lake 

1           64 

Gl 

River           68 

atl  p.  M.,  River 

76 

at  7  p.  M., 

,  75° 

u 

30, 

at 

8  p.m., 

,  River          74 

July 

1, 

at 

8  A.  M., 

,  61 

at   2  p.  M. 

,  65       at    6  p.  M., 

66 

64 

" 

2_ 

at 

4  A.  M. 

,  63 

at  11  A.  M. 

,  64      at   2  p.  M., 

68 

at  9  p.  M., 

,  62 

64 

" 

g 

at 

6  a.m. 

,  62 

at    3  p.  M. 

,  60      at   9  p.  M., 

,  58 

60 

<( 

4, 

at 

7  A.  M. 

,  58 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  fluctuations  of  temperature  noticed 
at  lower  points  on  the  lake  chain,  about  the  latitude  of  Michili- 
raackinac,  have  also  characterized  the  entire  length  of  Lake  Supe- 
rior. The  atmosphere  observed  at  three  separate  times,  during 
twenty-four  days,  by  Fahrenheit's  thermometer,  during  the 
months  of  June  and  July,  has  varied  from  an  average  tempera- 
ture of  62°  to  88°,  agreeable  to  masses  of  clouds  interposed  to 
the  rays  of  the  sun,  and  to  shifting  currents  of  wind,  which  have 
often  suddenly  intervened.  Its  waters,  spreading  for  a  length  of 
five  hundred  miles  from  E.  to  AV.,  observed  during  the  same  time 
by  as  many  immersions  of  the  instrument,  has  not  varied  more 
than  two  degrees  below  or  above  the  average  temperature  of  55° 
m  mere  surface  observations. 


APPENDIX. 


42i 


Observations  on  the  Sources  of  the  Mississippi  River. 


R 

s 

S 

s 

a 

s 

REMARKS. 

< 

< 

-(1 

M 

CM 

b 

p^ 

lO 

'- 

CO 

(N 

00 

at 

July  17 

76° 

80° 

79° 

78° 

Morning  rainy,  then  fair. 

"     18 

... 

51° 

64 

66 

53 

50 

Fair. 

'«     19 

46 

63 

70 

55 

Night  rainy,  morning  cloudy,  then 
fair. 

"     20 

... 

00 

80 

84 

75 

"     21 

68 

86 

88 

85 

74 

"     22 

73 

88 

90 

77 

Cloudy,  some  thunder. 

"     23 

70 

82 

88 

78 

Night  and  morning  rain,  afternoon 
thunder. 

"     24 

74 

87 

80 

78 

Fair. 

"     25 

85 

74 

•  ■• 

Fair. 

"    26 

61° 

81 

61 

... 

Morning  fair,  evening  cloudy  and 
rain,  clear. 

«'     27 

62 

... 

80 

75 

Morning  fair,  evening  fair. 

«'     28 

02 

76 

61 

... 

Morning  fair,  rain  in  afternoon. 

'«     29 

50 

74 

52 

Clear. 

"     30 

00° 

76 

63 

Wind  N.  W.,  weather  clear. 

"     31 

65 

81 

69 

Wind  W.,  weather  cleai-. 

Aug.    1 

67 

83 

70 

Fair. 

"      2 

72 

* 

Fair. 

Observations  at  St. 

1820. 

7  A.  M.     2  p.  M. 

9.  A.  M. 

WINDS 

Illy  15, 

61°       79° 

64° 

S. 

"     16, 

62         82 

76 

s. 

"     17, 

70        88 

01 

w. 

"     18, 

58        78 

56 

E. 

"     19, 

69        80 

64 

s. 

"    20, 

68        80 

65 

s. 

"     21, 

69        84 

72 

s. 

"     22 

75         88 

72 

w. 

at  St.  Peter's  (iioio  Minnesota). 


23, 


73 


86 


W. 


24, 

70 

89 

72 

W. 

25, 

70 

80 

66 

W. 

26, 

68 

82 

64 

w. 

27, 

72 

78 

62 

w. 

28, 

67 

75 

58 

S.  E. 

29, 

60 

71 

54 

N.E. 

30, 

60 

76 

63 

N.  W. 

31, 

65 

81 

69 

W. 

WEATHER. 

Clear;  fair. 

Clear  ;  rain  towards  morning. 

Cloudy;  rain,  thunder  and  lightning. 

Clear. 

Cloudy ;  rain  p.  M. 

Clear. 

Clear. 

Clear;  cloudy  r.  m.,  rain,  thunder  and 

lightning  during  the  night. 
Clear,  cloudy;   rain  and  fair  weather 

alternately. 
Clear ;  calms. 

Clear ;  high  winds  at  night. 
Clear;  calm. 
Clear. 

Clear ;  fresh  winds. 
Clear. 
Clear. 
Clear. 


*  Broke  instrument. 


424  APPENDIX. 

Meteorological  Journal  Tcept  at  CMcacjo  hi/  Dr.  A.  Wolcott. 


■    185 

!0. 

Daylight. 

9  A.  M. 

2  p.  M. 

9  p.  M. 

■WIND. 

■WEATDEn. 

Jan. 

1, 

4° 

11° 

10° 

0° 

W.  N.  W. 

Cloudy ;  light  snow  ;  first  ice  in 
the  river,  14  inches  thick; 
none  in  the  lake. 

(( 

2 

10 

14 

25 

12 

W.  N.  W. 

Clear. 

i( 

3, 

4 

9 

13 

14 

W.  S.  W. 

Clear. 

(( 

4, 

9 

14 

19 

9 

W. 

Clear. 

«( 

5, 

9 

5 

4 

10 

W.  N.  W. 

Clear. 

" 

6, 

11 

4 

15 

28 

s.  s.  w. 

Clear. 

(( 

7, 

36 

36 

39 

36 

s.  w. 

Cloudy. 

t( 

8, 

32 

32 

34 

33 

N.  N.  E. 

Cloudy. 

(( 

9, 

32 

33 

36 

34 

N.E. 

Cloudy. 

i( 

10, 

32 

31 

31 

25 

N.  E. 

Snow-storm. 

(( 

11, 

14 

14 

16 

2 

N. 

Clear. 

iC 

12, 

17 

15 

2 

12 

s.  s.  w. 

Clear. 

<( 

13, 

20 

24 

25 

12 

w.  s.  w. 

Clear. 

(( 

14, 

14 

15 

15 

15 

N. 

Snow-squalls. 

(( 

15, 

12 

14 

15 

10 

N.  N.  W. 

Clear ;  lake  corered  with  moving 
ice,  as  far  as  the  eye  can  see. 

'« 

U, 

20 

20 

21 

21 

E.  N.  E. 

Snow-storm. 

(( 

17, 

14 

14 

25 

10 

W.  N.  W. 

Clear. 

" 

18, 

14 

18 

15 

6 

W. 

Cloudy. 

" 

19, 

10 

0 

10 

2 

W.  N.  W. 

Clear. 

(( 

20, 

6 

12 

25 

13 

W. 

Clear. 

(( 

21, 

20 

22 

26 

28 

E.  N.  E. 

Snow-storm. 

(( 

'>2 

7 

11 

12 

5 

N.  W. 

Clear. 

ii 

23, 

20 

4 

0 

3 

AV. 

Clear. 

<( 

24, 

2 

6 

18 

16 

W. 

Clear. 

<( 

25, 

4 

3 

9 

7 

W. 

Clear. 

«( 

26, 

16 

19 

26 

28 

E.  S  E. 

Snow-storm. 

(( 

27, 

18 

21 

25 

8 

s.  w. 

Cloudy. 

(C 

28, 

/. 

1 

11 

10 

W.  N.  W. 

Clear. 

<< 

29, 

20 

31 

18 

W. 

Cloudy;  ice  18  inches  on  river. 

(' 

30, 

6 

6 

4 

5 

W. 

Clear. 

«( 

31, 

6 

5 

3 

17 

W.  N.  W. 

Clear ;  snow  22  inches  deep. 

Feb, 

•    1, 

12 

0 

14 

16 

S.  E. 

Cloudy. 

ii 

o 

22 

25 

29 

20 

E.  N.  E. 

Snow-storm;  ice  18|  inches  on 
river. 

n 

3, 

10 

7 

9 

7 

W. 

Clear. 

(.i 

4, 

0 

5 

25 

24 

E.  S.  E. 

Clear. 

it 

5, 

30 

36 

40 

40 

S.W. 

Clear. 

" 

6, 

11 

12 

32 

24 

S. 

Clear. 

a 

7, 

28 

33 

42 

80 

w.  s.  w. 

Clear. 

11 

8, 

30 

34 

40 

32 

E. 

Cloudy  and  mist ;  snow  during 
the  night  fell  six  inches. 

(( 

9, 

30 

S4 

34 

31 

E. 

Clear. 

Ar] 

^EXDIX. 

425 

1S20. 

Davlisjht. 

9  A.M. 

2  P.  M. 

0  p.  M. 

UIND. 

WEATHER. 

Feb. 

10, 

31 

32 

39 

32 

E. 

Cloudy. 

" 

11, 

28 

32 

38 

34 

S. 

Clear. 

(( 

12, 

32 

39 

34 

20 

N.  E. 

Cloudy. 

(< 

13, 

12 

22 

39 

32 

W.  S.  W. 

Clear. 

(< 

14, 

34 

39 

37 

36 

E. 

Cloudy; 

some  rain  with  thunder. 

(( 

15, 

36 

38 

39 

36 

E. 

Cloudy; 

some  rain  \vith  thunder. 

(( 

16, 

38 

42 

47 

33 

S.  W. 

Clear. 

" 

1", 

27 

27 

28 

22 

W. 

Light  clouds. 

" 

18, 

10 

22 

28 

30 

E. 

Cloudy. 

<( 

19, 

32 

36 

46 

24 

AV. 

Clear. 

a 

20, 

15 

22 

24 

16 

W. 

Clear. 

(< 

21, 

8 

20 

37 

38 

s.  w. 

Clear. 

<( 

22, 

34 

40 

45 

32 

w. 

Clear. 

" 

23, 

28 

37 

46 

36 

s.  w. 

Cloudy; 

rain    and    hail    with 

thunder. 

(( 

24, 

30 

33 

40 

39 

E. 

Clear. 

" 

25, 

44 

50 

59 

54 

S.  AV. 

Clear. 

(( 

26, 

50 

49 

38 

36 

S.  AV. 

Cloudy ; 

tempest  of  wind  with 

flurries  of  rain  and  hail. 

" 

27, 

30 

31 

34 

28 

AV.  N.  AV'. 

Clear. 

(( 

28, 

20 

28 

30 

39 

S.  E. 

Clear. 

(( 

29, 

28 

36 

50 

37 

S.  AV. 

Clear. 

Mar 

•    1, 

32 

35 

36 

18 

N.  N.  AV. 

Clear, 

«' 

2 

8 

15 

25 

20 

N.  N.  A7. 

Clear. 

- 

" 

3! 

26 

30 

36 

22 

AA^  N.  AV. 

Cloudy. 

C( 

4, 

19 

28 

42 

36 

S.  AY. 

Clear. 

(( 

5, 

30 

32 

36 

23 

N.  E. 

Cloudy. 

(( 

6, 

13 

19 

25 

14 

N.  N.  AV. 

Clear. 

" 

7, 

16 

17 

24 

18 

E.  N.E. 

Cloudy; 

light  snow. 

(I 

8, 

17 

24 

23 

21 

N.  E. 

Cloudy. 

' 

(( 

9, 

22 

24 

26 

23 

N.  N.  E. 

Cloudy. 

(( 

10, 

24 

26 

31 

24 

N.  N.  E. 

Cloudy. 

(< 

11, 

22 

24 

29 

31 

E.  N.  E. 

Cloudy. 

" 

12, 

28 

32 

33 

32 

E.  S.  E. 

Cloudy; 

light  snow. 

(< 

13, 

32 

37 

39 

34 

E.  N.  E. 

Cloudy. 

(t 

14, 

32 

36 

36 

33 

E.  N.  E. 

Cloudy ; 

light  snow. 

(( 

15, 

26 

32 

Agreeable  to  a  register  kept  at  Council  Bluffs  during  the 
month  of  January,  1820,  the  highest  and  loAvest  temperature  at 
that  place  were,  respectively,  36°  and  22°,  the  month  giving  a 
mean  of  17.89.  Compared  Avith  the  observed  temperature,  for 
the  same  month,  at  the  folloAving  positions  in  the  United  States, 
both  east  and  Avest  of  the  Alleghanies,  the  Missouri  Valley  reveals 


426 


APPENDIX. 


the  fact  of  its  being  adapted  to  the  purposes  of  a  profitable 
agriculture.* 


Council  Bluffs 

Wooster 

Zanesville 

Marietta 

Chillicothe 

Cincinnati 

JefFersouville 

Shawneetown 

Huntsville 

Tuscaloosa 

Cahaba 

Ouachita 

New  Orleans 

Portsmouth,  N 


H. 


Washington  City 


Mean  temperature 
of  the  mouth. 

.  17.89° 

.  16.G9 

.  25.84 

.  28.42 

.  32.48 

.  28.76 

.  23.05 

.  32.91 

.  36.43 

.  46.63 

.  65.87 

.  34.16 

.  52.16 

.  19.31 

.  29.19 


Highest. 

36° 

36 

42 

45 

48 

46 

50 

52 

62 

74 

73 

68 

78 

40 

45 


Lowest. 

22° 
zero 
zero 
zero 

10 

11 
6 
8 

12 

17 

54 

10 

25 

4t 
4 


Council  Bluffs,  lat.  41°  45^  long.  19°  50^  W.  of  the  capitol. 
New  Orleans,      "    29     57       "      12     53   W.  " 

Portsmouth,        "    48     05       "        6     10   E.  " 

Difference  of  lat.  13°  48'.  Difference  of  long.  26°. 

Nor  does  it  appear  that  the  same  quantity  of  snow  falls  in  the 
Missouri  Valley  which  is  common  east  of  the  Alleghany  Mount- 
ains. At  the  Council  Bluffs,  on  the  last  of  January,  snow  was 
but  twelve  inches  deep;  at  the  same  period,  it  was  three  feet  or 
more  throughout  the  Eastern  States. 

A  snow-storm  fell  over  the  middle  and  eastern  latitudes  of  the 
United  States,  for  the  first  time,  during  the  autumn  of  the  year 
(1820),  in  the  first  half  of  November.  As  a  precursor  to  this, 
slight  drifts  and  gusts  of  snow  had  showed  themselves  at  Albany 
on  the  25th,  26th,  and  28th  of  October.:]: 


*  In  Europe,  the  mean  annual  temperature  necessary  for  the  production  of  cer- 
tain plants  is — 

For  the  sugar-cane 67° 

"       coffee      .......     64 

"       orange     .......     63 

"       olive 54 

"       vine  (vitis  vinifera)  .         .         .         .51 

f  Below  zero, 
j;  Meteorological  journal  kept  at  the  Albany  Academy  for  October,  1820. 


APPENDIX.  427 

"MoxTEEAL,  Canada,  October  28, 1820.— On  Wednesday  last, 
we  had  the  first  fall  of  snow  this  season.  It  commenced  in  the 
forenoon,  and  continued  slightly  during  the  remainder  of  the 
day.  Although  expected  to  disappear,  the  frosts  in  the  nights 
have  been  pretty  severe,  and  a  considerable  quantity  still  remains 
(Saturday)  at  the  moment  we  are  writing." 

"Salem,  N.  Y.  October  31.— On  Saturday  last  (27th),  we  had 
our  first  snow  for  the  season.  It  fell  during  most  of  the  fore- 
noon, and  for  an  hour  or  two  the  atmosphere  was  quite  filled 
with  it.  Some  cool  and  shaded  spots  still  remain  whitened, 
though  yesterday  was  one  of  our  pleasant  autumnal  days,  with  a 
mild  west  wind." 

Early  Sleighing. — The  Burlington  (Yt.)  Sentinel  of  the  27th  ult. 
says:  "On  Tuesday  night  and  Wednesday,  the  snow  fell  in  this 
place  about  eight  inches  deep  on  the  level.  It  is  said  to  be  twelve 
inches  deep  in  some  of  the  adjoining  towns." — October^  1820. 

At  Philadelphia,  it  began  on  Saturday,  11th  (morning),  snow- 
storm from  the  east,  and  continued  all  day.  At  night  a  hurri- 
cane, accompanied  by  torrents  of  rain  and  snow,  which  did  not 
subside  until  the  12th  in  the  morning.  Weather  unsettled  on 
the  loth. 

At  Worcester,  a  severe  snow-storm,  from  northeast,  on  the  11th 
and  12th.  On  the  13th,  snow  was  ten  inches  deep,  the  weather 
cold,  and  sleighing  good. 

Snow  in  Poughkeepsie  fell  twelve  inches  deep,  and  produced 
excellent  sleighing. 

At  New  Haven  (Conn.),  it  began  with  snow,  hail,  and  rain,  on 
Saturday  evening,  11th.  The  day  before  was  wintery  cold.  The 
storm  continued,  without  intermission,  till  Monday,  13th. 

At  Boston,  it  also  began  on  Saturday,  11th,  from  the  northeast, 
and  fell  six  inches.  On  Sunday,  rain  and  snow.  Monday  cold, 
and  indifferent  sleighing  in  the  streets. — Boston  paper,  Nov.  14th. 

In  Yernon,  Oneida  County,  it  began  on  the  11th,  in  the  even- 
ing, and  continued,  in  all,  till  Monday,  13th,  giving  us  snow,  rain, 
hail,  and  wind,  alternately.  On  the  15th,  the  snow,  which  lay 
six  inches  deep,  began  to  thaw,  and  this  was  the  beginning  of  our 
Indian  summer. 

The  Buffalo  papers,  of  November  14th,  say  that  several  vessels 


428  APPENDIX. 

were  lost  in  the  gale  and  snow-storm,  or  driven  ashore.  The 
storm  closed  up  on  the  13th,  at  New  York  City;  the  wind  at 
northwest,  and  very  cold.  The  rain,  snow,  and  hail  which  had 
fallen  gave  good  sleighing  a  part  of  that  day.  These  notices 
cover  an  area  of  about  five  hundred  miles  square,  proving  the 
universality  of  our  autumnal  phenomena. 

Indian  Summer. 

This  season  appears  to  be  produced  by  the  settling  of  a  thin 
azure  vapor.  It  is  supposed  to  arise  from  the  partial  decompo- 
sition of  the  foliage  of  the  forest  after  the  autumnal  rains  are  past. 
"What  is  called  the  Indian  summer,"  says  an  observer  at  Albany, 
"  usually  gives  us  fifteen  or  twenty  days  of  uncommonly  pleasant 
fall  weather,  commencing  in  the  early  part  of  October.  The  pre- 
sent season  it  set  in  as  usual,  and  we  had  a  week  or  ten  days  of 
very  fine  weather,  when  a  northeast  storm  commenced,  and  con- 
tinued for  part  of  two  days;  within  which  time  more  rain  is  sup- 
posed to  have  fallen  than  during  the  whole  of  the  preceding  sum- 
mer and  fall.  Most  of  the  streams  and  springs  were  filled,  and 
the  Hudson  Eiver,  in  many  places,  overflowed  its  banks.  It 
however  again  cleared  off  pleasant,  and  remained  so  till  Tuesday 
evening,  when  another  storm  of  rain  commenced,  which  continued 
the  whole  night.  In  the  morning,  there  was  some  fall  of  hail  ac- 
companying the  rain,  and  about  8  o'clock  a  slight  flurry  of  snow, 
and  another  on  Thursday  evening ;  since  which  the  weather  has 
set  in  cold,  and  has  the  appearance  of  the  closing  in  of  fall  or  the 
setting  in  of  winter.  We  however  expect  to  put  off  wdnter  and 
cold  weather  for  some  time  yet,  and  anticipate  many  pleasant 
days  in  November." 

Indian  summer,  in  Oneida,  commenced  on  the  15th  November. 
The  weather  had  previously  been  cold,  with  snow  and  rain  and  a 
murky  atmosphere. 

Wednesday,  Nov.  15.  The  snow,  wliicli  lay  six  inches  deep,  began  to  thaw,  and  the 

sky  was  clear  and  sunny. 
Thursday,        "     16.  Was  a  clear  and  pleasant  day  throughout;  snow  continued  to 

melt. 
Friday,  "     17.  The  same,  and  smoky;  warm  sunshine;  not  a  cloud  to  be 

seen ;  snow  melts. 
Saturday,        "     18.  The  same. 


APPENDIX.  429 

Sunday,        Nov.  19.  The  same  ;  full  moon ;  cloudy,  with  wiud  in  the  evening;  snoTV 

gone. 
Monday,  "     20.  The  same;  sky  clear  and  warm. 

Tuesday,  "     21.  Weather  cloudy;  wind  S.  E. ;  prepares  for  a  change ;  a  little 

snow  during  the  previous  night,  but  melts  from  the  roofs 

this  morning ;  no  sun  appears. 
Wednesday,     *'     22.  Cloudy,  dull  morning;  rain  afternoon;  sun  appeared  a  few 

moments  about  4  p.  m. 
Thursday,        "     2-3.  Cloudy,  with  alternate  sunshine  and  rain. 
Friday,  "     24.  Clear  and  pleasant. 

Saturday,        "    25.  Clear  and  pleasant. 

Dr.  Freeman,  of  Boston,  in  one  of  liis  occasional  sermons,  em- 
ploys the  following  poetic  language  in  relation  to  this  American 
phenomenon : — 

"  The  southwest  is  the  pleasantest  wind  which  blows  in  New 
England.  In  the  month  of  October,  in  particular,  after  the  frosts 
which  commonly  take  place  at  the  end  of  September,  it  frequently 
produces  two  or  three  weeks  of  fair  weather,  in  which  the  air  is 
perfectly  transparent,  and  clouds,  which  float  in  a  sky  of  the  purest 
azure,  are  adorned  with  brilliant  colors.  If  at  this  season  a  man 
of  an  affectionate  heart  and  ardent  imagination  should  visit  the 
tombs  of  his  friends,  the  southwestern  breezes,  as  they  breathe 
through  the  glowing  trees,  would  seem  to  him  almost  articulate. 
Though  he  might  not  be  so  wrapped  in  enthusiasm  as  to  fancy 
that  the  spirits  of  his  ancestors  were  whispering  in  his  ear,  yet 
he  would  at  least  imagine  that  he  heard  '  the  still  small  voice'  of 
God.  This  charming  season  is  called  the  Indian  Summer,  a  name 
which  is  derived  from  the  natives,  who  believe  that  it  is  caused 
by  a  "wind  which  comes  immediately  from  the  court  of  their  great 
and  benevolent  God  Cantantowan,  or  the  Southwestern  God ;  the 
God  who  is  superior  to  all  other  beings,  who  sends  them  every 
blessing  which  they  enjoy,  and  to  whom  the  souls  of  their  fathers 
go  after  their  decease." 


430  APPENDIX. 


7.  INDIAN  HIEROGLYPHICS,  OR  PICTURE  WRITING, 
LANGUAGES,  AND  HISTORY. 

XX. 

Pictograpliic  Mode  of  Communicating  Ideas  among  the  Northwestern 
Indians^  observed  during  the  Exjjedition  to  the  Sources  of  the  Mis- 
sissijojyi  'in  1820,  in  a  Letter  to  the  Secretary  of  War.  By  Hon. 
Lewis  Cass. 

Detroit,  February  2,  1821. 

Sir:  Au  incident  occurred  upon  my  recent  tour  to  the  North- 
west, so  rare  in  itself,  and  which  so  clearly  shows  the  facility  with 
which  communications  may  be  opened  between  savage  nations, 
without  the  intervention  of  letters,  that  I  have  thought  it  not  im- 
proper to  communicate  it  to  you. 

The  Chippewas  and  Sioux  are  hereditary  enemies,  and  Charle- 
voix says  they  were  at  war  when  the  French  first  reached  the 
Mississippi.  I  endeavored,  when  among  them,  to  learn  the  cause 
which  first  excited  them  to  war,  and  the  time  when  it  commenced. 
But  they  can  give  no  rational  account.  An  intelligent  Chippewa 
chief  informed  me  that  the  disputed  boundary  between  them  was 
a  subject  of  little  importance,  and  that  the  question  respecting  it 
could  be  easily  adjusted.  He  appeared  to  think  that  they  fought 
because  their  fathers  fought  before  them.  This  war  has  been 
waged  with  various  success,  and,  in  its  prosecution,  instances  of 
courage  and  self-devotion  have  occurred,  within  a  few  years,  which 
would  not  have  disgraced  the  pages  of  Grecian  or  of  Eoman  his- 
tory. Some  years  since,  mutually  weary  of  hostilities,  the  chiefs 
of  both  nations  met  and  agreed  upon  a  truce.  But  the  Sioux, 
disregarding  the  solemn  compact  which  they  had  formed,  and 
actuated  by  some  sudden  impulse,  attacked  the  Chippewas,  and 
murdered  a  number  of  them.  The  old  Chippewa  chief  who  de- 
scended the  Mississippi  with  us  was  present  upon  this  occasion,  and 
his  life  was  saved  by  the  intrepidity  and  generous  self-devotion  of 
a  Sioux  chief.  This  man  entreated,  remonstrated,  and  threatened. 
He  urged  his  countrymen,  by  every  motive,  to  abstain  from  any 
violation  of  their  faith,  and,  when  he  found  his  remonstrances 
useless,  he  attached  himself  to  this  Chippewa  chief,  and  avowed 


APPENDIX.  481 

his  determination  of  saving  or  perisliing  with  liim.  Awed  by  his 
intrepidity,  the  Sioux  finally  agreed  that  he  should  ransom  the 
Chippewa,  and  he  accordingly  applied  to  this  object  all  the  pro- 
perty he  owned.  lie  then  accompanied  the  Chippewa  on  his 
journey  until  he  considered  him  safe  from  any  parties  of  the 
Sioux  who  might  be  disposed  to  follow  him. 

I  subjoin  an  extract  from  the  journal  of  Mr.  Doty,  an  intelligent 
young  gentleman  who  was  with  the  expedition.  This  extract 
has  already  been  published,  but  it  may  have  escaped  your  obser- 
vation, and  the  incident  which  it  describes  is  so  heroic  in  itself, 
and  so  illustrative  of  the  Indian  character,  that  I  cannot  resist  the 
temptation  of  transmitting  it  to  you. 

Extract  from  Mr.  Doty's  Journal. — "The  Indians  of  the 
upper  country  consider  those  of  the  Fond  du  Lac  as  very  stupid 
and  dull,  being  but  little  given  to  war.  They  count  the  Sioux 
their  enemies,  but  have  heretofore  made  few  war  excursions. 

"Having  been  frequently  reprimanded  by  some  of  the  more 
vigilant  Indians  of  the  north,  and  charged  with  cowardice,  and 
an  utter  disregard  for  the  event  of  the  war,  thirteen  men  of  this 
tribe,  last  season,  determined  to  retrieve  the  character  of  their 
nation  by  making  an  excursion  against  the  Sioux.  Accordingly, 
without  consulting  the  other  Indians,  they  secretly  departed,  and 
penetrated  far  into  the  Sioux  country.  Unexpectedly,  at  night, 
they  came  upon  a  party  of  the  Sioux,  amounting  to  near  one 
hundred  men,  and  immediately  began  to  prepare  for  battle.  They 
encamped  a  short  distance  from  the  Sioux,  and,  during  the  night, 
dug  holes  in  the  ground  into  which  they  might  retreat  and  fight 
to  the  last  extremity.  They  appointed  one  of  their  number  (the 
youngest)  to  take  a  station  at  a  distance  and  wdtness  the  struggle, 
and  instructed  him,  when  they  were  all  slain,  to  make  his  escape 
to  their  own  land,  and  state  the  circumstances  under  which  they 
had  fallen. 

"  Early  in  the  morning,  they  attacked  the  Sioux  in  their  camp, 
■who,  immediately  sallying  out  upon  them,  forced  them  back  to 
the  last  place  of  retreat  they  had  resolved  upon.  They  fought 
desperately.  More  than  twice  their  own  number  were  killed 
before  they  lost  their  lives.  Eight  of  them  were  tomahaAvked  in 
the  holes  to  which  they  had  retreated;  the  other  four  fell  on  the 
field !     The  thirteenth  returned  home,  according  to  the  direc- 


432  APPENDIX. 

tions  he  had  received,  and  related  the  foregoing  circumstances  to 
his  tribe.  They  mourned  their  death;  but,  delighted  with  the 
bravery  of  their  friends,  unexampled  in  modern  times,  they  v/ere 
happy  in  their  grief. 

"This  account  I  received  of  the  very  Indian  who  was  of  the 
party  and  had  escaped." 

The  Sioux  are  much  more  numerous  than  the  Chippewas,  and 
would  have  overpowered  them  long  since  had  the  operations  of 
the  former  been  consentaneous.  But  they  are  divided  into  so 
many  different  bands,  and  are  scattered  over  such  an  extensive 
country,  that  their  efforts  have  no  regular  combination. 

Believing  it  equally  consistent  with  humanity  and  sound  po- 
licy that  these  border  contests  shoidd  not  be  suffered  to  continue; 
satisfied  that  you  would  approve  of  any  plan  of  pacification 
which  might  be  adopted,  and  feeling  that  the  Indians  have  a  full 
portion  of  moral  and  physical  evils,  without  adding  to  them  the 
calamities  of  a  war  which  had  no  definite  object,  and  no  probable 
termination ;  on  our  arrival  at  Sandy  Lake,  I  proposed  to  the 
Chippewa  chiefs  that  a  deputation  should  accompany  us  to  the 
mouth  of  the  St,  Peter's,  with  a  view  to  establish  a  permanent 
peace  between  them  and  the  Sioux.  The  Chippewas  readily 
acceded  to  this  proposition,  and  ten  of  their  principal  men  de- 
scended the  Mississippi  with  ns. 

The  computed  distance  from  Sandy  Lake  to  the  St.  Peter's  is 
six  hundred  miles,  and,  as  I  have  already  had  the  honor  to  inform 
you,  a  considerable  proportion  of  the  country  has  been  the  theatre 
of  hostile  enterprises.  The  Mississippi  here  traverses  the  immense 
plains  which  extend  to  the  Missouri,  and  which  present  to  the 
eye  a  spectacle  at  once  interesting  and  fatiguing.  Scarcely  the 
slightest  variation  in  the  surface  occurs,  and  they  ai'e  entirely 
destitute  of  timber.  In  this  debatable  land,  the  game  is  very 
abundant;  buffaloes,  elks,  and  deer  range  unharmed,  and  uncon- 
scious of  harm.  The  mutual  hostilities  of  the  Chippewas  and 
Sioux  render  it  dangerous  for  either,  unless  in  strong  parties,  to 
visit  this  portion  of  the  country.  The  consequence  has  been  a 
great  increase  of  all  the  animals  whose  flesh  is  used  for  food,  or 
whose  fur  is  valuable  for  market.  We  found  herds  of  buffaloes 
quietly  feeding  upon  the  plains.  There  is  little  difficulty  in  ap- 
proaching sufficiently  near   to  kill  them.     "With  an  eagerness 


APPENDIX.  433 

wliich  is  natural  to  all  liuntcrs,  and  witli  an  improvidence  wliich 
always  attends  these  excursions,  the  animal  is  frequently  killed 
without  any  necessity,  and  no  other  part  of  them  is  preserved 
but  the  tongue. 

There  is  something  extremely  novel  and  interesting  in  this 
pursuit.  The  immense  plains,  extending  as  far  as  the  eye  can 
reach,  are  spotted  here  and  there  with  droves  of  bufE^does.  The 
distance  and  the  absence  of  known  objects  render  it  difficult  to 
estimate  the  size  or  the  number  of  these  animals.  The  hunters 
approach  cautiously,  keeping  to  the  leeward,  lest  the  buffaloes, 
whose  scent  is  very  acute,  should  observe  them.  The  moment  a 
gun  is  fired,  the  buffaloes  scatter  and  scour  the  field  in  every 
direction.  Unwieldy  as  they  appear,  they  move  with  consider- 
able celerity.  It  is  difl&cult  to  divert  them  from  their  course,  and 
the  attempt  is  always  hazardous.  One  of  our  party  barely  escaped 
with  his  life  from  this  act  of  temerity.  The  hunters,  who  are 
stationed  upon  different  parts  of  the  plain,  fire  as  the  animals 
pass  them.  The  repeated  discharge  of  guns  in  every  direction, 
the  shouts  of  those  who  are  engaged  in  the  pursuit,  and  the  sight 
of  the  buffaloes  at  full  speed  on  every  side,  give  an  animation  to 
the  scene  which  is  rarely  equalled. 

The  droves  which  we  saw  were  comparatively  small.  Some  of 
the  party  whom  we  found  at  St.  Peter's,  and  who  arrived  at  that 
place  by  land  from  the  Council  Bluffs,  estimated  one  of  the  droves 
which  they  saw  to  contain  two  thousand  buffaloes. 

As  we  approached  this  part  of  the  country,  our  Chippewa 
friends  became  cautious  and  observing.  The  flag  of  the  United 
States  was  flying  upon  all  our  canoes,  and,  thanks  to  the  character 
which  our  country  acquired  by  the  events  of  the  last  war,  I  found 
in  our  progress  through  the  whole  Indian  country,  after  we  had 
once  left  the  great  line  of  communication,  that  this  flag  was  a 
passport  which  rendered  our  journey  safe.  We  consequently  felt 
assured  that  no  wandering  party  of  the  Sioux  would  attack  even 
their  enemies,  while  under  our  protection.  But  the  Chippewas 
could  not  appreciate  the  influence  which  the  American  flag  would 
have  upon  other  nations,  nor  is  it  probable  that  they  estimated 
Avith  much  accuracy  the  motives  which  induced  us  to  assume  the 
character  of  an  umpire. 

The  Chippewas  landed  occasionally  to  examine  whether  any 
28 


434  APPENDIX. 

of  the  Sioux  liad  recently  visited  that  quarter.  In  one  of  these 
excursions,  a  Chippewa  found  in  a  conspicuous  place,  a  piece  of 
birch  bark,  made  flat  by  being  fastened  between  two  sticks  at 
each  end,  and  about  eighteen  inches  long  by  fifteen  broad.  This 
bark  contained  the  answer  of  the  Sioux  nation  to  the  proposition 
which  had  been  made  by  the  Chippewas  for  the  termination  of 
hostilities.  So  sanguinary  has  been  the  contest  between  these 
tribes,  that  no  personal  communication  could  take  place.  Neither 
the  sanctity  of  the  office,  nor  the  importance  of  the  message,  could 
protect  the  ambassadors  of  either  party  from  the  vengeance  of 
each  other.  Some  time  preceding,  the  Chippewas,  anxious  for 
ihe  restoration  of  peace,  had  sent  a  number  of  their  young  men 
into  these  plains  with  a  similar  piece  of  bark,  upon  which  they 
had  represented  their  desire.  The  bark  had  been  left  hanging  to 
a  tree  in  an  exposed  situation,  and  had  been  found  and  taken  away 
by  a  party  of  the  Sioux. 

The  propositions  had  been  examined  and  discussed  in  the  Sioux 
villages,  and  the  bark  which  we  found  contained  their  answer. 
The  Chippewa  who  had  prepared  the  bark  for  his  tribe  was 
with  us,  and  on  our  arrival  at  St.  Peter's,  finding  it  was  lost,  I 
requested  him  to  make  another.  He  did  so,  and  produced  what 
I  have  no  doubt  was  a  ^eriect  facsimile.  "We  brought  with  us 
both  of  these  projets^  and  they  are  now  in  the  hands  of  Capt. 
Douglass.  He  will  be  able  to  give  a  more  intelligible  description 
of  them  than  I  can  from  recollection,  and  they  could  not  be  in 
the  possession  of  one  more  competent  to  the  task. 

The  Chippewas  explained  to  us  with  great  facility  the  inten- 
tion of  the  Sioux,  and  apparently  with  as  much  readiness  as  if 
some  common  character  had  been  established  between  them. 

The  junction  of  the  St.  Peter's  with  the  Mississippi,  where  a 
principal  part  of  the  Sioux  reside,  was  represented,  and  also  the 
American  fort,  with  a  sentinel  on  duty,  and  the  flag  flying.  The 
principal  Sioux  chief  is  named  the  Six,  alluding,  I  believe,  to  the 
bands  or  villages  under  his  influence.  To  show  that  he  was  not 
present  at  the  deliberations  upon  the  subject  of  peace,  he  was 
represented  upon  a  smaller  piece  of  bark,  which  was  attached  to 
the  other.  To  identify  him,  he  was  drawn  with  six  heads  and  a 
large  medal.  Another  Sioux  chief  stood  in  the  foreground,  hold- 
ipo-  the  pipe  of  peace  in  his  right  hand,  and  his  weapons  in  his 


APPENDIX.  435 

left.  Even  we  could  not  misunderstand  that.  Like  our  own  eagle 
with  the  olive-branch  and  arrows,  he  was  desirous  of  peace,  but 
prepared  for  war. 

The  Sioux  party  contained  fifty-nine  warriors,  and  this  number 
was  indicated  by  fifty-nine  guns,  which  were  drawn  upon  one 
corner  of  the  bark.  The  only  subject  which  occasioned  any  dilfi- 
culty  in  the  interpretation  of  the  Chippewas,  was  owing  to  an 
incident,  of  which  they  were  ignorant.  The  encampment  of  our 
troops  had  been  removed  from  the  low  grounds  upon  the  St. 
Peter's,  to  a  high  hill  upon  the  Mississippi ;  two  forts  were  there- 
fore drawn  upon  the  bark,  and  the  solution  of  this  enigma  could 
not  be  discovered  till  our  arrival  at  St.  Peter's. 

The  effect  of  the  discovery  of  this  bark  upon  the  minds  of  the 
Chippewas  was  visible  and  immediate.  Their  doubts  and  appre- 
hensions appeared  to  be  removed,  and  during  the  residue  of  the 
journey,  their  conduct  and  feelings  were  completely  changed. 

The  Chippewa  bark  was  drawn  in  the  same  general  manner, 
and  Sandy  Lake,  the  principal  place  of  their  residence,  was  repre- 
sented with  much  accuracy.  To  remove  any  doubt  respecting  it, 
a  view  was  given  of  the  old  northwest  establishment,  situated 
upon  its  shore,  and  now  in  the  possession  of  the  American  Fur 
Company.  No  proportion  was  preserved  in  their  attempt  at  de- 
lineation. One  mile  of  the  Mississippi,  including  the  mouth  of 
the  St.  Peter's,  occupied  as  much  space  as  the  whole  distance  to 
Sandy  Lake ;  nor  was  there  anything  to  show  that  one  part  was 
nearer  to  the  spectator  than  another;  yet  the  object  of  each  party 
was  completely  obtained.  Speaking  languages  radically  different 
from  each,  for  the  Sioux  constitute  one  of  three  grand  divisions 
into  which  the  early  French  writers  have  arranged  the  aborigines 
of  our  country,  while  the  Chippewas  are  a  branch  of  what  they 
call  Algonquins,  and  without  any  conventional  character  esta- 
blished between  them,  these  tribes  thus  opened  a  communication 
upon  the  most  important  subject  which  could  occupy  their  atten- 
tion. Propositions  leading  to  a  peace  were  made  and  accepted, 
and  the  simplicity  of  the  mode  could  only  be  equalled  by  the 
distinctness  of  the  representations,  and  by  the  ease  with  which 
they  were  understood. 

An  incident  like  this,  of  rare  occurrence  at  this  day,  and  throw- 
ing some  light  upon  the  mode  of  communication  before  the  in- 


436  APPENDIX. 

vention  of  letters,  I  thought  it  not  improper  to  communicate  to 
you.  It  is  only  necessary  to  add,  that  on  our  arrival  at  St.  Peter's, 
we  found  Col,  Leavenworth  had  been  as  attentive  and  indefatigable 
upon  this  subject,  as  upon  every  other  which  fell  within  the  sphere 
of  his  command. 

During  the  preceding  winter,  he  had  visited  a  tribe  of  the 
Chippewas  upon  this  pacific  mission,  and  had,  with  the  aid  of 
the  agent,  Mr.  Talliafero,  prepared  the  minds  of  both  tribes  for  a 
permanent  peace.  The  Sioux  and  Chippewas  met  in  council,  at 
which  we  all  attended,  and  smoked  the  pipe  of  peace  together. 
They  then,  as  they  say  in  their  figurative  language,  buried  the 
tomahawk  so  deep  that  it  could  never  be  dug  up  again,  and  our 
Chippeway  friends  departed  well  satisfied  Avith  the  result  of  their 
mission. 

I  trust  that  Mr.  Bolvin,  the  agent  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  has  been 
able  before  this  to  communicate  to  you  a  successful  account  of  the 
negotiation  which  I  instructed  him  to  open  between  the  Sacs  and 
Poxes,  forming  one  party,  and  the  Sioux.  Hostilities  were  car- 
ried on  between  these  tribes,  which,  I  presume,  he  has  been  able 
to  terminate. 

"We  discovered  a  remarkable  coincidence,  as  well  in  the  sound 
as  in  the  application,  between  a  word  in  the  Sioux  language  and 
one  in  our  own.  The  circumstance  is  so  singular  that  I  deem  it 
worthy  of  notice.  The  Sioux  call  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony  Ha  ha, 
and  the  pronunciation  is  in  every  respect  similar  to  the  same  words 
in  the  English  language.  I  could  not  learn  that  this  word  was 
used  for  any  other  purpose,  and  I  believe  it  is  confined  in  its 
application  to  that  place  alone.*  The  traveller  in  ascending  the 
Mississippi  turns  a  projecting  point,  and  these  falls  suddenly  ap- 
pear before  him  at  a  short  distance.  Every  man,  savage  or  civil- 
ized, must  be  struck  with  the  magnificent  spectacle  which  opens 
to  his  view.  There  is  an  assemblage  of  objects  which,  added  to 
the  solitary  grandeur  of  the  scene,  to  the  height  of  the  cataract, 

*  Ilia  ha  [ilia-ikiha]  are  words  given  as  equivalent  to  laugh,  v.  in  Riggs's  Dic- 
tionary of  the  Dakota  language,  published  by  the  Smithsonian  Institution  in  1852. 
Ihapi,  n.,  is  laughter.  The  letter  h,  with  a  dot,  represents  a  strong  guttural,  re- 
sembling the  Arabic  Kha.  Iha,  by  the  same  authoritj^  is  the  lips  or  cover  to  any- 
thing; it  is  also  an  adverb  of  doubt.  The  vowel  i  has  the  sound  of  i  in  marine,  or 
e  in  me. 


APPENDIX.  437 

and  to  tlie  eternul  roar  of  its  waters,  inspire  the  spectator  with 
awe  and  admiration. 

In  his  Anecdotes  of  Painting,  it  is  stated  by  Ilorace  Walpole, 
that  "on  the  invention  of  fosses  for  boundaries,  the  common  people 
called  them  Ha  Ha's!  to  express  their  surprise  on  finding  a  sud- 
den and  unperceived  check  to  their  walk,"  I  believe  the  word  is 
yet  used  in  this  manner  in  England.  It  is  certainly  not  a  little 
remarkable  that  the  same  word  should  be  thus  applied  by  one  of 
the  most  civilized  and  by  one  of  the  most  barbai^ous  people,  to 
objects  which,  although  not  the  same,  were  yet  calculated  to  excite 
the  admiration  of  the  observer. 

Nothing  can  show  more  clearly  how  fallacious  are  those  deduc- 
tions of  comparative  etymology,  v/hich  are  founded  upon  a  few 
words  carefully  gleaned  here  and  there  from  languages  having  no 
common  origin,  and  which  are  used  by  people  who  have  neither 
connection  nor  intercourse.  The  common  descent  of  two  nations 
can  never  be  traced  by  the  accidental  consonance  of  a  few  sylla- 
bles or  words,  and  the  attempt  must  lead  us  into  the  regions  of 
fancy. 

The  Sioux  language  is  probably  one  of  the  most  barren  which 
is  spoken  by  any  of  our  aboriginal  tribes.  Colonel  Leavenworth, 
who  made  considerable  proficiency  in  it,  calculated,  I  believe,  that 
the  number  of  words  did  not  exceed  one  thousand.  They  use 
more  gestures  in  their  conversation  than  any  Indians  I  have  seen, 
and  this  is  a  necessary  result  of  the  poverty  of  their  language. 

I  am  well  aware,  that  the  subject  of  this  letter  is  not  within  the 
ordinary  sphere  of  official  communications.  But  I  rely  for  your 
indulgence  upon  the  interest  which  you  have  shown  to  procure 
and  disseminate  a  full  knowledge  of  every  subject  connected  Avith 
the  internal  condition  of  our  country. 

I  am  preparing  a  memoir  upon  the  present  state  of  the  Indians, 
agreeably  to  the  intimation  in  my  letter  of  September  last,  I 
shall  finish  and  transmit  it  to  you  as  soon  as  my  other  duties  will 
permit. 

Very  respectfull}^,  sir, 

I  have,  &c,, 

LEWIS  CASS, 
Hon.  John  C.  Calhoun, 

Secretary  of  War. 


438  APPENDIX. 


XXI. 


Inquiries  respecting  the  History  of  the  Indians  of  the  United  States. 
By  Lewis  Cass. 

These  queries  were  published  at  Detroit  in  separate  pamphlets, 
about  the  era  of  1822,  and  communicated  to  persons  in  the  Indian 
country  supposed  to  be  capable  of  furnishing  the  desired  informa- 
tion. The  results  became  the  topic  of  several  critical  disquisitions, 
which  appeared  in  the  pages  of  the  North  American  Revieiv  in 
1825  and  1826;  disquisitions  the  spirit  and  tone  of  which  created, 
as  the  reader  who  is  posted  up  on  the  topic  will  remember,  a  sensa- 
tion among  philological  and  philosophical  readers. 

Whether  we  are  most  to  admire  the  bold  tone  of  inquiry  as- 
sumed by  Gen.  Cass,  the  acumen  displayed  in  the  discussions,  -the 
eloquence  of  the  language,  or  the  general  soundness  of  the  posi- 
tions taken,  is  the  only  question  left  for  decision.  Certainly, 
nobody  can  arise  from  the  perusal  of  these  papers  without  be- 
coming wiser  or  better  informed  on  the  subjects  discussed.  The 
mere  luxury  of  high-toned  and  eloquent  language  is  a  gratifica- 
tion to  the  inquirer.  But  he  cannot  close  these  investigations 
into  a  subject  of  deep  historical  and  philological  interest  without 
feeling  established  in  the  principles  of  historic  truth,  or  warmed 
in  his  literary  ardor. 

Prominent  among  the  topics  of  the  initial  discussion,  was  the 
work  of  John  Dunn  Hunter,  a  singular  adventurer  in  the  Indian 
country,  or,  perhaps,  an  early  captive,  who,  after  wandering  to  the 
Atlantic  cities,  where  his  harmless  inefSciency  of  character  gained 
no  favorable  attention,  found  his  way  to  London,  where  the 
booksellers  concocted  a  book  of  travels  from  him,  in  which  the 
United  States  is  unscrupulously  traduced  for  its  treatment  of  the 
Indians.  The  scathing  which  this  person  and  his  book  received 
arises  from  its  having  fallen  in  the  way  of  the  business  journeys 
of  the  critic  to  visit  some  of  the  principal  scenes  referred  to ;  and 
among  others,  the  residence  of  John  Dunn,  of  Missouri,  after 
whom  he  professed  to  be  named,  who  utterly  denied  all  know- 
ledge of  the  man  or  of  his  purported  adventures. 

The  question  of  the  authenticity  of  the  Indian  traditions  of  Mr. 
Heckewelder,  derived  from  a  single  tribe,  and  that  tribe  telling 


APPENDIX.  439 

stories  to  salve  up  its  own  disastrous  history,  and  the  mere  literary 
capacities  of  the  man  to  put  his  materials  in  order,  is  propounded 
and  examined  in  connection  with  the  contemporary  traditions  and 
languages  of  other  tribes.  These  traditions  had  been  communi- 
cated to  the  Pennsylvania  Historical  Society,  in  1816,  and  were 
l^ublished  under  the  special  auspices  of  Mr.  Duponceau,  in  1819. 
From  the  internal  evidence  of  the  letters  themselves,  the  critic  pro- 
nounces them  to  be  reproductions  of  Mr.  Duponceau  himself;  and 
it  is  an  evidence  of  the  aptness  of  this  deduction  to  be  told  that 
Mr.  Gallatin  admitted  {vide  my  Personal  Memoirs^  p.  623),  that  the 
letters  of  Mr.  Heckewelder  had  all  been  rewritten  previous  to 
publication.  It  could  no  longer  be  a  subject  of  admiration  to 
philologists,  that  from  such  imperfect  sources  of  information,  that 
distinguished  scholar  should  have  pronounced  the  opinion  that 
the  Delaware  language  rather  exceeds  tlian  flills  short  of  the  Greek 
and  Latin  in  the  affluence  of  syntactical  forms  and  capacities  of 
expression.    Trans.  Hist,  and  Lit.  Com.,  Am.  Pliilo.  /Soc,  vol.  i.  p.  415. 

XXII. 

A  Letter  on  the  Origin  of  the  Indian  Race  of  America,  and  the  Prin- 
ciples-of  their  Mode  of  uttering  Ideas;  addressed  to  John  Johnston, 
Esq.,  late  of  St.  Marfs  Falls,  Michigan.  By  Dr.  J.  McDonnell, 
of  Belfast,  Ireland. 

Belfast,  April  16,  1817. 
My  Dear  J.:  I  feel  always  as  if  I  am  guilty  of  some  great  crime, 
in  not  writing  to  you. 

An  account  came  to  Sir  Joseph  Banks,  of  very  curious  rocks, 
with  odd  stripes  and  colors,  having  been  seen,  this  last  war,  by 
sailors  on  the  lakes,  I  think  on  Lake  Superior.*  Pray  keep  up 
your  thoughts  to  the  geography  of  rocks.  I  got  some  lately  from 
Bombay,  exactly  ditto  with  our  Causeway .f 

I  shall  ever  regret  the  not  having  seen  your  daughter.  I  think 
it  likely  that  mingling  the  European  blood  and  character  with 
the  Indian  might  bring  out  some  superior  traits  of  character. 
Lest  my  letter  should  altogether  fail  of  presenting  any  useful 
point,  I  must  jDut  some  questions  to  you  that  would  be  worth 
something  if  answered. 

,*  Most  probably  this  idea  arose  from  the  very  marked  precipices  of  the  coast 
denominated  Pictured  Rocks.  H.  R.  S. 

f  The  Giant's  Causeway,  on  the  Coast  of  Antrim. 


440  APPENDIX. 

l^A  man  has  published,  in  1816,  an  octavo  volume  in  Trenton 
(United  States),  the  author's  name  Boudinot,  to  explain  some 
things  about  the  Indian  nations,  and,  among  other  things,  he  fan- 
cies some  resemblance  between  their  languages  and  Hebrew. 
Baron  Yon  Humboldt,  a  Prussian,  was  in  Spanish  America  lately, 
and  he  found  the  natives  had  Hebrew  opinions  and  usages,  evi- 
dently things  borrowed  from  Jewish  doctrines,  I  don't  want  you 
to  inquire  much  about  their  being  of  this  extraction,  but  observe, 
for  me,  whether  their  languages  have  no  pronouns,  as  one  author, 
Golden,  stated  fifty  years  ago;  and  whether  they  are  defective  in 
the  ^^repositions,  as  this  Boudinot  states;  and  whether  those  near 
you  have  any  words,  idioms,  or  traditions  that  are  expressive  of 
their  early  origin,  or  their  connection  with  European  nations. 

In  fact,  I  think  you  are  better  circumstanced,  in  most  respects, 
than  any  other  man  that  I  ever  heard  of,  to  do  something  worth 
notice  in  that  way  ;  for,  although  you  have  not  books,  nor  know- 
ledge of  many  tongues,  yet  you  could  collect  lists  of  great  and 
radical  words,  expressed  with  proper  letters,  so  that  others  could 
compare  those  words  with  Asiatic,  and  African,  and  European 
tongues,  so  as  to  enable  mankind  to  judge  of  similitudes  or  dis- 
similitudes. 

The  words  most  apt  to  pervade  different  nations,  and  to  pass 
from  one  people  to  another,  are  articles,  pronouns,  auxiliary  verbs, 
prepositions  ;  next  to  these,  numerals ;  next  to  these,  whatever 
terms  are  expressive  of  striking,  useful,  hurtful,  or  very  clear  and 
definite  objects  and  ideas ;  for,  if  the  conceptions  we  have  of 
things  be  not  very  definite,  clear,  and  distinct,  the  idea  and  the 
word  are  not  likely  to  float  down  the  stream  of  time  together,  they 
will  be  jostled  and  separated.  Be  very  careful  in  spelling  the 
Indian  words ;  spell  them  in  different  ways,  where  our  letters 
don't  square  exactly  with  their  sounds.  Take  notice  of  their 
musical  tones,  and  whether  these  tones  get  in,  as  essential  parts, 
into  their  speech;  and,  above  all,  remember  that  a  icord  is  a  thing, 
and  that  it  may  be  examined  as  a  record,  or  considered  like  a 
coin  or  medal,  as  well  as  if  it  had  the  stamp  of  a  king  or  mint 
upon  it. 

I  will  write  more  if  this  vessel  does  not  sail  to-day.  God  bless 
you  and  yours,  and  believe  me,  in  haste,  your  affectionate  cousin. 

J.  McDonnell. 


APPENDIX.  '  4-11 


XXIII. 


Difficulties  of  Studying  the  Indian  Tongnes  of  the  United  States. 
'By  Dr.  Alexandek  Wolgott,  Jr. 

Dr.  Wolcott  will  be  remembered  b}''  tlie  early  inhabitants  of 
Chicago,  when  that  place  was  still  a  military  post  and  the  site  of 
an  Indian  agency,  the  latter  of  which  trusts  he  filled.  In  1820, 
the  Pottowattomie  tribe  of  Indians  and  their  confederates — the 
Illinois — Chippewas,  and  Ottowas — possessed  the  whole  surround- 
ing regions,  roving  as  lords  of  the  prairies.  These  numerous  and 
fierce  hunter-tribes,  who  traded  their  peltries  for  fineries,  had 
many  horses,  loved  rum  and  fine  clothes,  and  despised  all  re- 
straints, came  in  to  him,  at  his  agency,  as  the  mouthpiece  of  the 
President,  to  transact  their  affiirs,  and  they  often  lingered  for 
days  and  weeks  around  the  place,  which  gave  him  a  good  oppor- 
tunity of  becoming  familiar  with  their  manners,  customs,  and 
history. 

Dr.  Wolcott  was  a  man  of  education,  of  high  morals,  dignified 
manners,  and  noble  sentiments,  with  decidedly  saturnine  feelings, 
and  a  keen  perception  of  the  ridiculous.  Constitutionally  averse 
to  much  or  labored  personal  effort,  his  leisure  hours,  in  this 
seclusion  from  society,  were  hours  devoted  to  reading  and 
social  converse,  and  his  attention  was  appropriately  called  by 
Gen.  Cass  to  the  "Inquiries,"  No.  21,  above  referred  to.  The 
reply  which  he  at  length  communicated  was  written  in  so 
happy  a  vein,  that  I  obtained  permission  to  publish  the  sub- 
stance of  it,  in  1821,  in  my  Travels  in  the  Central  Portions  of 
the  Ilississipjn  Yalley^  p.  381.  It  declares  an  important  truth, 
which  all  must  concur  in,  who  have  attempted  the  study  of  the 
Indian  languages,  for  they  are  required  to  perform  the  prior 
labor  of  ascertaining  and  generalizing  the  principles  of  their 
accidence  and  concord.  When  I  first  came  to  St.  Mary's,  in  1822, 
and  began  the  study  of  the  Chippewa,  I  asked  in  vain  the  simple 
question  how  the  plural  was  formed.  It  was  formed,  in  truth,  in 
twelve  different  ways,  agreeably  to  the  vowels  of  terminal  sylla- 
bles; but  this  could  not  be  declared  until  quires  of  paper  had 
been  written  over,  the  whole  vocabulary  explored,  and  days  and 
nights  devoted  to  -it.     ]\[y  first  interpreter  could  not  tell  a  verb 


442  APPENDIX. 

from  a  noun,  and  was  incapable  of  translating  the  simplest  sen- 
tence literally.  Besides  his  ignorance,  he  was  so  great  a  liar  that 
I  never  knew  when  to  believe  him.  He  sometimes  told  the  In- 
dians the  reverse  of  what  I  said,  and  often  told  me  the  reverse  of 
what  they  said. 

XXIV. 

Examination  of  the  Elementary  Structure  of  the  Algonquin  Language 
as  it  appears  in  the  Chip)peiija  Tongue.     By  Henry  E.  School- 

CKAFT. 

INTRODUCTORY  NOTE. 

Sault  Ste.  Marie,  May  31,  1823. 

Sir  :  In  order  to  answer  your  inquiries,  I  have  improved  my 
leisure  hours,  during  the  part  of  the  summer  following  our  arrival 
here  (6th  July  last),  and  the  entire  winter  and  spring,  in  examining 
the  words  and  forms  of  expression  of  the  Chippewa,  or  (as  the 
Indians  pronounce  it)  Odjibwa,  tongue,  I  have  found,  as  I  anti- 
cipated-, my  most  efficient  aid,  in  this  inquiry,  in  Mr.  Johnston, 
and  the  several  members  of  his  intelligent  family ;  my  public  in- 
terpreter being  too  unprecise  and  profoundly  ignorant  of  the  rules 
of  grammar  to  be  of  much  use  in  the  investigation.  Mr.  John- 
ston, as  you  are  aware,  perhaps,  came  from  the  north  of  Ireland, 
where  his  connections  are  highly  respectable,  during  the  first 
term  of  General  Washington's  administration.  He  brought  letters 
from  high  sources  to  the  Governor-Greneral  of  Canada;  but  hav- 
ing, while  at  Montreal,  fallen  in  with  Don  Andrew  Tod,  a  coun- 
tryman, who  had  the  monopoly  of  the  fur  trade  of  Louisiana,  in 
a  spirit  of  enterprise  and  adventure,  he  threw  himself  into  that, 
at  the  time,  fascinating  pursuit,  and  visited  Michilimackinac. 
Circumstances  determined  him  to  fix  his  residence  at  St.  Mary's, 
where  he  has  resided,  making  frequent  visits  to  Montreal  and 
Great  Britain,  about  thirty  years.  His  children  have  been  care- 
fully instructed  in  the  English  language  and  literature,  and  the 
whole  family  are  familiar  with  the  Indian.  "Without  such  profi- 
cient aid,  I  should  have  labored  against  serious  impediments  at 
every  step ;  and,  with  them,  I  have  found  the  inquiry,  in  a  philo- 
logical point  of  view,  involved  in  many,  and  some  of  them  insuper- 
able difficulties.     The  results  I  communicate  to  you,  rather  as  an 


APPENDIX.  443 

earnest  of  what  may  be  hereafter  doue  iu  this  matter,  than  as 
completely  fulfilling   inquiries  which   it  would   require   Ilorne 
Tooke  himself,  with  the  aid  of  the  Bodleian  library,  to  unravel. 
With  respect,  &c., 

HENKY  R.  SCHOOLCRAFT, 
nis  Excellency  Gov.  Lewis  Cass. 

EXAMINATION  OF  THE  ODJIBWA. 

1,  2.  SimjyJe  Sounds.- — The  language  is  one  of  easy  enunciation. 
It  has  sixteen  simple  consonental  and  five  vowel  sounds.  Of 
these,  two  are  labials,  h  and  2? ;  five  dentals,  d,  t,  s,  z,  j\  and  g  soft ; 
two  nasals,  m  and  w;  and  four  gutturals,  /c,  g,  c,  and  g  hard. 
There  is  a  peculiar  nasal  combination  in  w^,  and  a  peculiar  termi- 
nal sound  of  g,  which  may  be  represented  by  gk.  Of  the  mixed 
dipthongal  and  consonental  sounds,  those  most  difficult  to  English 
organs  are  the  sounds  in  aiw  and  auiv. 

3.  Letters  not  used. — The  language  is  wholly  wanting  in  the 
sound  of  th.  It  drops  the  sound  of  v  entirely,  substituting  h,  in 
attempts  to  pronounce  foreign  words.  The  sound  of  I  is  some- 
times heard  in  their  necromantic  chants ;  but,  although  it  appears 
to  have  been  known  to  tlie  old  Algonquin,  it  is  supplied,  in  the 
Odjibwa  of  this  day,  exclusively  by  n.  It  also  eschews  the  sounds 
of/,  ?•,  and  X,  leaving  its  simple  consonental  powers  of  utterance, 
as  above  denoted,  at  sixteen.  In  attempts  to  pronounce  English 
words  having  the  sound  of/,  they  substitute  ^9,  as  in  the  case  of  v. 
The  sound  of  r  is  either  dropped,  or  takes  the  sound  of  cm.  Of 
the  letter  x  they  make  no  use ;  the  nearest  approach  I  have  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  from  them  is  ek-is,  showing  that  it  is  essentially 
a  foreign  sound  to  them.  The  aspirate  h  begins  very  few  words, 
not  exceeding  five  in  fifteen  hundred,  but  it  is  a  very  frequent 
sound  in  terminals,  always  following  the  slender  or  Latin  sound 
of  o,  but  never  its  broad  sound  in  an,  or  its  peculiarly  English 
sound  as  heard  in  the  a  of  7nay^  pay^  day.  The  terminal  syllable 
of  the  tribal  name  (Odjibwa),  oft'ers  a  good  evidence  of  this  rule, 
this  syllable  being  never  sounded  by  the  natives  either  ivah  or 
wau,  but  always  wa.  These  rules  of  utterance  appear  to  be  con- 
stant and  imperative,  and  the  natives  have  evidently  a  nice  ear 
to  discriminate  sounds. 


444  APPENDIX. 

Rule  of  Euphony. — In  the  construction  of  words,  it  is  required 
tliat  a  consonant  &\xo\x\^  precede  or  follow  a  vowel.  In  dissyllables 
wherein  two  consonants  are  sounded  in  juxtaposition,  it  happens 
from  the  joining  of  two  syllables,  the  first  of  which  ends  and  the 
last  begins  with  a  consonant,  as  inuh-kuh^  a  box,  and  os-sin^  a 
stone ;  the  utterance  in  these  cases  being  confluent.  But  in  longer 
compounds  this  juxtaposition  is  generally  avoided  by  throwing 
in  a  vowel  for  the  sake  of  euphony,  as  in  the  term  assinehwoin, 
the  e  in  which  is  a  mere  connective,  and  has  no  meaning  by  itself. 
Nor  is  it  allowable  for  vowels  to  follow  each  other  in  syllabica- 
tion, except  in  the  restricted  instances  where  the  being  or  exist- 
ence of  a  thing  or  person  is  affirmed,  as  in  the  vowel-words  i-e-e 
and'i-e-a,  the  animate  and  inanimate  forms  of  this  declaration. 
In  these  cases,  there  is  a  distinct  accent  on  each  vowel. 

4.  Accent. — The  accent  generally  falls  on  full  or  broad  vowels,  and 
never  on  short  vowels ;  such  accented  vowels  are  always  significant, 
and  if  they  are  repeated  in  a  compoand  word,  the  accents  are  also 
repeated,  the  only  difference  being  that  there  are  primary  and 
secondary  accents.  Thus,  in  the  long  descriptive  name  for  a  horse, 
Pa-hd-zliilc-u-ga-zM^  which  is  compounded  of  a  numeral  term  and 
two  nouns,  meaning,  the  animal  with  solid  hoofs ;  there  are  three 
accents,  the  first  of  whieh  is  primary,  while  the  others  succeed 
each  other  with  decreased  intensity.  By  a  table  of  words  which 
I  have  constructed,  and  had  carefully  pronounced  over  by  the 
natives,  it  is  denoted  that  dissyllables  are  generally  accented  on 
the  final  syllable,,  trisyllables  on  the  second,  and  words  of  four 
syllables  on  the  second  and  fourth.  But  these  indications  may 
not  be  constant  or  universal,  as  it  is  perceived  that  the  accents 
vary  agreeably  to  the  distribution  of  the  full  and  significant 
vowels. 

5.  Em2iJi.asis. — Stress  is  laid  on  particular  words  in  sentences  to 
which  the  speaker  designs  to  impart  force,  and  the  whole  tone  of  the 
entire  sentiment  and  passages  is  often  adapted  to  convey  particular 
impressions.  This  trait  more  frequently  comes  out  in  the  private 
narrative  of  real  or  imaginary  scenes,  in  which  the  narrator  assumes 
the  very  voice  and  tone  of  the  real  or  supposed  actor.  Generally, 
in  their  dealings  and  colloquial  intercourse,  there  is  a  significant 
stress  laid  on  the  terms,  meenungaika.,  certainly ;  Jcaigait,  truly ; 
haugaigo,  nothing  at  all;  tiau^  behold;  tvolmv,  who;  auwanain, 


APPENDIX.  445 

were ;  and  other  familiar  terms  of  inquiry,  denial,  or  affirmation 
in  daily  use. 

6.  Coiijiigation. — The  simplest  form  in  which  their  verbs  are 
heard,  is  in  the  third  person  singular  of  the  indicative,  as  lie 
speals,  he  says,  he  loves,  lie  dances,  or  in  the  first  person  present 
of  the  imperative.  The  want  of  a  distinction  between  the  pro- 
nouns lie  and  she,  is  a  defect  which  the  language  shares,  I  believe, 
with  other  very  ancient  and  rude  tongues.  Conjugations  are 
effected  for  persons,  tenses,  and  number,  very  much  as  they  are  in 
other  rude  languages,  particularly  those  of  the  transpositive  class. 
The  verb  is  often  a  single  root,  or  syllable,  as  saug,  love ;  but 
owing  to  the  tendency  of  adding  qualifying  particles,  their  verbs 
are  cluttered  up  with  other  meanings.  The  word  sang  is  there- 
fore never  heard  as  an  element  by  itself.  In  the  first  place,  it 
takes  before  it  the  pronoun,  and  in  the  second  place,  the  object 
of  action;  so  that  nesaugeau,  I  love  him,  or  her,  or  a  person,  is  one 
of  the  simplest  of  their  colloquial  phrases.  And  of  this  term,  the 
e,  being  the  fourth  syllable,  is  mere  verbiage,  means  nothing  by 
itself,  and  is  thrown  in  for  euphony. 

Tenses  are  formed  by  adding  gee  to  the  pronoun  for  the  perfect, 
and  gah  for  the  future,  and  gahgee  for  the  second  future. 
These  terms  play  the  part,  and  supply  the  want  of,  auxiliary 
verbs.  The  imperative  is  made  in  gah,  and  the  potential  in  dau 
where  the  second  future  is  daugee.  The  subjunctive  is  made 
by  prefixing  the  word  Idsh^nn,  meaning  if.  The  inflection  nuh, 
asks  a  question,  and  as  it  can  be  put  to  all  the  forms  of  the 
conjugation,  it  establishes  an  interrogative  mood.  The  particle 
see,  negatives  the  verb,  and  thus  all  verbs  can  be  conjugated 
positively  and  negatively. 

To  constitute  the  plural,  the  letter  g  is  added  to  the  conjuga- 
tions ;  thus,  nesaugeaug  means,  I  love  them.  But  this  is  an  ani- 
mate plural,  and  can  only  be  added  to  words  of  the  vital  class. 
Besides,  if  the  verb  or  noun  to  be  made  plural  does  not  end  in 
a  vowel,  but  in  a  consonant,  the  g  cannot  be  added  without  in- 
terposing a  vowel.  It  results,  therefore,  that  the  vowel  class 
of  words  have  their  plurals  in  dg,  eeg,  ig,  og,  or  ug.  But,  if  the 
class  of  words  be  non-vital  and  numerical,  the  plural  is  made 
in  the  letter  n.  But  this  letter  cannot,  as  in  the  other  form,  be 
added,  unless  the  word  terminate  in  a  vowel,  when  the  regular 


446  APPENDIX. 

plurals  are  an,  een^  in,  on,  or  un.  This  simple  principle  clears  up 
one  cause  of  perplexity  in  the  conjugations,  and  denotes  a  philo- 
sophical method,  which  divides  the  whole  vocabulary  into  two 
classes;  while  this  provision  supersedes,  it  answers  the  purpose  of 
gender.  There  is,  in  fact,  no  gender  required  by  the  conjugations, 
it  being  sufficient  to  denote  the  vitality  or  non-vitality  of  the  class. 
Nothing  can  be  clearer.  This  is  one  of  the  leading  traits  of  the 
grammar  of  the  language,  upon  the  observance  of  which  the  best 
speakers  pride  themselves. 

It  does  not,  however,  result  that,  because  there  is  no  gender 
required  in  the  conjugations,  the  idea  of  sexuality  is  unknown  to 
the  nomenclature.  Quite  the  contrary.  The  tenses  for  male  and 
female,  in  the  chief  orders  of  creation,  are  iaha  and  nozha.  These 
words  prefixed  to  the  proper  names  of  animals,  produce  expres- 
sions of  precisely  the  same  meaning,  and  also  the  same  inelegance ; 
as  if  we  should  say,  male  goose,  female  goose,  male  horse,  and 
female  horse,  male  man  and  female  man.  The  term  for  man 
{inini)  is  masculine,  and  that  for  woman  (eqna)  feminine  in  its 
construction.  It  is  only  in  the  conjugations  that  the  principle 
of  gender  becomes  lost  in  that  of  vitality. 

7.  Active  and  jjassive  voices. — The  distinction  between  these  two 
classes  of  verbs  is  made  by  the  inflection  ego.  By  adding  this 
form  to  the  active  verb,  its  action  is  reversed,  and  thrown  back 
on  the  nominative.  Thus,  the  verb  to  carry  is  nini  bemon,  I 
carry;  ?im  bemon-ego,  I  am  carried.  Adoicawa  is  the  act  of 
thumping,  as  a  log  by  the  waves  on  the  shore.  Adowawa-ego 
is  a  log  that  is  thumped  by  the  waves  on  shore.  Nesaugeah,  I 
love ;  Nesaugeigo,  I  am  loved.  In  the  latter  phrase,  the  personal 
term  au  is  dropped,  and  the  long  sound  of  e  slips  into  i,  which 
converts  the  inflection  into  igo  instead  of  ego. 

8.  Participles. — My  impression  is,  that  the  Indians  are  in  the 
habit  of  using  participles,  often  to  the  exclusion  of  other  proper 
forms  of  the  verb.  The  vocabulary  contains  abundantly  the  indi- 
cative forms  of  the  verb.  To  run,  to  rise,  to  see,  to  eat,  to  tie,  to  burn, 
to  strike,  to  sing,  to  cry,  to  dance,  are  the  common  terms  of  par- 
lance ;  but  as  soon  as  these  terms  come  to  be  connected  with  the 
action  of  particular  persons,  this  action  appears  to  be  spoken  of 
as  if  existing — both  the  past  and  future  tenses  being  thro\\Ta  away ; 
and  the  senses  appear  to  be,  I,  you,  he,  or  they ;  running,  rising, 


APPENDIX.  -        447 

seeing,  eating,  tying,  burning,  striking,  singing,  crying,  dancing. 
At  least,  I  have  not  been  able  to  convince  myself  that  the  action 
is  not  referred  to  as  existing.  When  the  participles  should  be 
used,  they,  on  the  contrary,  employ  the  indicative  forms,  by 
which  such  sentences  are  made  as,  he  run,  he  walk,  for  running, 
walking. 

The  general  want  of  the  substantive  verb,  in  their  colloquial 
phrases,  constantly  leads  to  imperfect  forms  of  syntax.  Thus, 
nthd  is  the  indicative,  first  person  of  the  verb  to  sleep ;  but 
if  the  term,  I  am  sleeping,  be  required,  the  phrase  is  ne  neba, 
simply,  I  sleep.  So,  too,  tshdgiz  is  the  first  person  indicative  to 
burn ;  but  the  colloquial  phrase,  I  am  burned,  or  burning,  is  rien 
tshdrjiz — the  verb  remaining  in  the  indicative,  and  not  taking  the 
participle  form. 

It  is  not  common  to  address  persons  by  their  familiar  names, 
as  with  us — as  John,  or  James.  The  very  contrary  is  the  usage 
of  Indian  society,  the  object  being  to  conceal  all  personal  names, 
unless  they  be  forced  out.  If  it  be  required  to  express  this  sen- 
tence, namely:  Adario  has  gone  out  (or  temporarily  departed), 
but  will  soon  return;  the  equivalent  is  Ogima^  ke  mahjaim,  pa- 
nema^  he  tahooshin.  This  sentence  literally  retranslated  is.  Chief 
he  gone ;  by  and  by,  he  (will)  return — the  noun  chief  being  put 
for  the  personal  noun  Adario.  It  will  be  perceived  that  the  pro- 
noun he  is  repeated  after  the  noun,  making,  chief,  he  gone. 
Panema  is  an  adverb  which  is  undeclinable  under  all  circum- 
stances, and  tahhoosldn^  the  future  tense  of  the  verb  to  arrive, 
or  come  (by  land).  The  phraseology  is  perfectly  loaded  with 
local  or  other  particulars,  which  constantly  limit  the  action  of 
verbs  to  places,  persons,  and  things. 


XXV. 

A    Vocaljulary  of  the    Odjihiua  Algonquin  Language.     By  II.  R, 

Schoolcraft. 

On  referring  to  the  manuscript  of  this  vocabulary,  it  is  found 
to  fill  a  large  folio  volume,  which  puts  it  out  of  my  power  to 
insert  it  in  this  connection.  It  is  hoped  to  bring  it  into  the  series 
of  the  Ethnological  volumes,  now  in  the  process  of  being  pub- 
lished at  Philadelphia,  under  the  auspices  of  Congress. 


APPENDIX. 

No.  2. 
THE  EXPEDITION  TO  ITASCA  LAKE  IN  1832. 


29 


SYNOPSIS. 


1.  INDIAN  LANGUAGES. 

I.  II.  Observations  on  the  Grammatical  Structure  and  Flexibility  of  the  Otljibwa 

Substantive.     By  Henry  R.  Schoolcraft. 
III.  Principles  Governing  the  Use  of  the  Odjibwa  Noun-adjective.     By  Henry  R. 

Schoolcraft. 
lY.  Some  Remarks  respecting  the  Agglutinative  Position  and  Properties  of  the 

Pronoun.     By  Henry  R.  Schoolcraft. 

2.  NATURAL  HISTORY. 

V.  Zoology. 

1.  Limits  of  the  Range  of  the  Cervus  Sylvestris  in  the  Northwestern  parts 
of  the  United  States.     By  Henry  R.  Schoolcraft. — Northivest  Journal. 

2.  Description  of  the  Fringilia  Vespertina,  discovered  by  Mr.  Schoolcraft  in 
the  Northwest.  By  William  Qoqv-ek.— Annals  of  the  New  York  Lyceum 
of  Natural  History. 

3.  A  list  of  Shells  collected  by  Mr.  Schoolcraft  during  his  Expedition  to  the 
Sources  of  the  Mississippi  in  1832.     By  William  Cooper. 

YI.  Botany.  ^ 

1.  List  of  Species  and  Localities  of  Plants  collected  during  the  Exploratory 
Expeditions  of  Mr.  Schoolcraft  in  1831  and  1832.  By  Douglass  Hough- 
ton, M.  D.,  Surgeon  to  said  Expeditions. 

YII.  Mineralogy  and  Geology. 

1.  A  Report  on  the  Existence  of  Deposits  of  Copper  in  the  Trap  Rocks  of 
Upper  Michigan.     By  Dr.  Douglass  Houghton. 

2.  Remarks  on  the  Occurrence  of  Native  Silver,  and  the  Ores  of  Silver,  in 
the  Stratification  of  the  Basins  of  Lakes  Huron  and  Superior.  By  Henry 
R.  Schoolcraft. 

3.  A  General  Summary  of  the  Localities  of  Minerals  observed  in  the  North- 
west.    By  Henry  R.  Schoolcraft. 

4.  Geological  Outlines  of  the  Valley  of  Takwymenon  in  the  Basin  of  Lake 
Superior.     By  Henry  R.  Schoolcraft. 

5.  Suggestions  respecting  the  Geological  Epoch  of  the  Deposit  of  Red  Sand- 
stone of  St.  Mary's  Falls,  Michigan.     By  Henry  R.  Schoolcraft. 


452  APPENDIX. 


3.  INDIAN  TRIBES. 

VIII.  Condition  and  Disposition. 

1.  OflBcial  Report  to  the  War  Department,  of  an  Expedition  through  Upper 
Michigan  and  Northern  Wisconsin  in  1831.     By  Henry  R.  Schoolcraft. 

2.  Brief  Notes  of  a  Tour  in  1831,  from  Galena,  in  Illinois,  to  Fort  Winne- 
bago, on  the  source  of  Fox  River,  Wisconsin.  By  Henry  R.  School- 
graft. 

3.  Official  Report  of  the  Expedition  to  Itasca  Lake  in  1832.  By  Henry  R. 
Schoolcraft. 

4.  Report  of  the  Vaccination  of  the  Indians  in  1832,  under  the  authority  of 
an  Act  of  Congress.     By  Dr.  Douglass  Houghton. 

4.  TOPOGRAPHY  AND  GEOGRAPHY. 

IX.  Astronomical  and  Barometrical  Observations. 

1.  Table  of  Geographical  Positions  observed  in  1836.  By  J.  N.  Nicollet. 

5.  SCENERY. 

X.  Letters  on  the  Scenery  of  Lake  Superior.     By  Melancthon  Woolsey.     Vide 

Southern  Literary  Messenger,  1836. 


APPENDIX. 


1.  INDIAN  LANGUAGE. 
I. 

Observations  on  the  Grammatical  Structure  and  Flexibility  of  the 
Odjibiva  Substantive.^ 

Inquiry  1. 

Observations  on  the  Ojibwai  substantive.  1.  Tlie  provision  of  the  language  for 
indicating  gender — Its  general  and  comprehensive  character — The  division  of 
TTords  into  animate  and  inanimate  classes.  2.  Number — its  recondite  forms, 
arising  from  the  terminal  vowel  in  the  word.  3.  The  grammatical  forms  which 
indicate  possession,  and  enable  the  speaker  to  distinguish  the  objective  person. 

Most  of  the  researches  which  have  been  directed  to  the  Indian 
languages,  have  resulted  in  elucidating  the  principles  governing 
the  use  of  the  verb,  which  has  been  proved  to  be  full  and  varied 
in  its  inflections.  Either  less  attention  has  been  paid  to  the  other 
parts  of  speech,  or  results  less  suited  to  create  high  expectations 
of  their  flexibility  and  powers  have  been  attained.  The  Indian 
verb  has  thus  been  made  to  stand  out,  as  it'were  in  bold  relief,  as 
a  shield  to  defects  in  the  substantive  and  its  accessories,  and  as, 
in  fact,  compensating,  by  its  multiform  appendages  of  prefix  and 
suffix — by  its  tensal,  its  pronominal,  its  substantive,  its  adjective, 
and  its  adverbial  terminations,  for  barrenness  and  rigidity  in  all 
other  parts  of  speech.     Influenced  by  this  reflection,  I  shall  defer, 

*  Mr.  Du  Ponceau  did  me  the  honor,  in  1834,  to  translate  these  two  inquiries 
on  the  substantive  in  full,  for  the  prize  paper  on  the  Algonquin,  before  the  National 
Institute  of  France. 


454:  APPENDIX. 

in  the  present  inquiry,  tlie  remarks  I  intend  offering  on  the  verb, 
until  I  have  considered  the  substantive,  and  its  more  important 
adjuncts. 

Palpable  objects,  to  which  the  idea  of  sense  strongly  attaches, 
and  the  actions  or  condition,  which  determine  the  relation  of  one 
object  to  another,  are  perhaps  the  first  points  to  demand  attention 
in  the  invention  of  languages.  And  they  have  certainly  imprinted 
themselves  very  strongly,  with  all  their  materiality,  and  with  all 
their  local,  and  exclusive,  and  personal  peculiarities  upon  the 
Indian.  The  noun  and  the  verb  not  only  thus  constitute  the 
principal  elements  of  speech,  as  in  all  languages ;  but  they  con- 
tinue to  perform  their  first  offices,  with  less  direct  aid  from  the 
auxiliary  parts  of  speech,  than  would  appear  to  be  reconcilable 
with  a  clear  expression  of  the  circumstances  of  time  and  place, 
number  and  person,  quality  and  quantity,  action  and  repose,  and 
the  other  accidents,  on  which  their  definite  employment  depends. 
Bat  to  enable  the  substantives  and  attributives  to  perform  these 
complex  offices,  they  are  provided  with  inflections,  and  undergo 
changes  and  modifications,  by  which  words  and  phrases  become 
very  concrete  in  their  meaning,  and  are  lengthened  out  to  appear 
formidable  to  the  eye.  Hence  the  polysyllabic,  and  the  descrip- 
tive character  of  the  language,  so  composite  in  its  aspect  and  in 
its  forms. 

To  utter  succinctly,  and  in  as  few  words  as  possible,  the  promi- 
nent ideas  resting  upon  the  mind  of  the  speaker,  appear  to  have 
been  the  paramount  object  with  the  inventors  of  the  language. 
Hence,  concentration  became  a  leading  feature.  And  the  pronoun, 
the  adjective,  the  adverb,  and  the  preposition,  however  they  may 
be  disjunctively  employed  in  certain  cases,  are  chiefly  useful  as 
furnishing  materials  to  the  speaker,  to  be  worked  up  into  the  com- 
plicated texture  of  the  verb  and  the  substantive.  Nothing,  in 
fact,  can  be  more  unlike,  than  the  language,  viewed  in  its  original, 
elementary  state — in  a  vocabulary,  for  instance,  of  its  primitive 
words,  so  far  as  such  a  vocabulary  can  now  be  formed,  and  the 
same  language  as  heard  under  its  oral,  amalgamated  form.  Its 
transpositions  may  be  likened  to  a  picture,  in  which  the  copal, 
the  carmine,  and  the  white  lead,  are  no  longer  recognized  as  dis- 
tinct substances,  but  each  of  which  has  contributed  its  share  to- 
wards the  effect.    It  is  the  painter  only  who  possesses  the  priuci- 


APPENDIX.  455 

pie,  by  whicli  one  element  has  been  curtailed,  another  augmented, 
and  all,  however  seemingly  discordant,  made  to  coalesce. 

Such  a  language  may  be  expected  to  abound  in  derivatives  and 
compounds ;  to  afford  rules  for  giving  verbs  substantive,  and  sub- 
stantives verbal  qualities ;  to  concentrate  the  meaning  of  words 
upon  a  few  syllables,  or  upon  a  single  letter,  or  alphabetical  sign; 
and  to  supply  modes  of  contraction  and  augmentation,  and,  if  I 
may  so  say,  short  cuts,  and  hy-paihs  to  meanings,  which  are  equally 
novel  and  interesting.  To  arrive  at  its  primitives,  we  must  pur- 
sue an  intricate  thread,  wdiere  analogy  is  often  the  only  guide. 
We  must  divest  words  of  those  accumulated  syllables,  or  parti- 
cles, which,  like  the  molecules  of  material  matter,  are  clustered 
around  the  primitives.  It  is  only  after  a  process  of  this  kind,  that 
the  principle  of  comhinaiion — that  secret  wire,  which  moves  the 
whole  machinery  can  be  searched  for,  with  a  reasonable  prospect 
of  success.  The  labor  of  analysis  is  one  of  the  most  interesting 
and  important,  which  the  subject  presents.  And  it  is  a  labor 
which  it  will  be  expedient  to  keep  constantly  in  viev^,  until  we 
have  separately  considered  the  several  parts  of  speech,  and  the 
grammatical  laws  by  which  the  language  is  held  together;  and 
thus  established  principles  and  provided  materials  Virherewith  we 
may  the  more  successfully  labor. 

1.  In  a  general  survey  of  the  language  as  it  is  spoken,  and  as 
it  must  be  written,  there  is  perhaps  no  feature  which  obtrudes  it- 
self so  constantly  to  view,  as  the  principle  which  separates  all 
words,  of  whatever  denomination,  into  animates  and  inanimates, 
as  they  are  applied  to  objects  in  the  animal,  vegetable,  or  mineral 
kingdom.  This  principle  has  been  grafted  upon  most  words,  and 
carries  its  distinctions  throughout  the  syntax.  It  is  the  gender  of 
the  language;  but  a  gender  of  so  unbounded  a  scope,  as  to  merge  in 
it  the  common  distinctions  of  a  masculine  and  feminine,  and  to  give 
a  twofold  character  to  the  parts  of  speech.  The  concords  which  it 
requires,  and  the  double  inflections  it  provides,  will  be  mentioned 
in  their  appropriate  places.  It  will  be  sufficient  here  to  observe, 
that  animate  nouns  require  animate  verbs  for  their  nominatives, 
animate  adjectives  to  express  their  qualities,  and  animate  demonstra- 
tive pronouns  to  mark  the  distinctions  of  person.  Thus,  if  we  say, 
''I  see  a  man;  I  see  a  house,"  the  termination  of  the  verb  must 
be  changed.     "What  was  in  the  first  instance  icuh  imd,  is  altered 


456  APPENDIX. 

to  wdb  indcin.  Wdh^  is  Here  the  infinitive,  but  the  root  of  this 
verb  is  still  more  remote.  If  the  question  occur,  "Is  it  a  good 
man,  or  a  good  house,"  the  adjective,  which,  in  the  inanimate  form 
is  onishish-i^  is,  in  the  animate  onishish-inf .  If  the  question  be  put, 
"Is  it  this  man,  or  this  house,"  the  pronoun  this^  which  is  md  hum, 
in  the  animate,  is  changed  to  md  ndun,  in  the  inanimate. 

Nouns  animate  embrace  the  tribes  of  quadrupeds,  birds,  fishes, 
insects,  reptiles,  crustacce,  the  sun,  and  moon,  and  stars,  thunder, 
and  lightning,  for  these  are  personified ;  and  whatever  either  pos- 
sesses animal  life,  or  is  endowed,  by  the  peculiar  opinions  and 
superstitions  of  the  Indians,  with  it.  In  the  vegetable  kingdom, 
their  number  is  comparatively  limited,  being  chiefly  confined  to 
trees,  and  those  only  while  they  are  referred  to,  as  whole  bodies, 
and  to  the  various  species  of  fruits,  and  seeds,  and  esculents.  It 
is  at  the  option  of  the  speaker  to  employ  nouns,  either  as  animates 
or  inanimates:  but  it  is  a  choice  seldom  resorted  to,  except  in 
conformity  with  stated  exceptions.  These  conventional  excep- 
tions are  not  numerous,  and  the  more  prominent  of  them,  may  be 
recited.  The  cause  of  the  exceptions  it  is  not  always  easy  to  per- 
ceive. It  may,  however,  generally  be  traced  to  a  particular  re- 
spect paid  to  certain  inanimate  bodies,  either  from  their  real  or 
fancied  properties — the  uses  to  which  they  are  applied,  or  the 
ceremonies  to  which  they  are  dedicated.  A  stone,  which  is  the 
altar  of  sacrifice  to  their  Manitoes;  a  bow,  formerly  so  necessary 
in  the  chase;  a  feather,  the  honored  sign  of  martial  prowess;  a 
kettle,  so  valuable  in  the  household;  a  pipe,  by  which  friendships 
are  sealed  and  treaties  ratified ;  a  drum,  used  in  their  sacred  and 
festive  dances;  a  medal,  the  mask  of  authority;  vermilion,  the 
appropriate  paint  of  the  warrior ;  wampum,  by  which  messages 
are  conveyed,  and  covenants  remembered.  These  are  among  the 
objects,  in  themselves  inanimates,  which  require  the  application 
of  animate  verbs,  pronouns,  and  adjectives,  and  are  thereby  trans- 
ferred to  the  animate  class. 

It  is  to  be  remarked,  however,  that  the  names  for  animals,  are 
only  employed  as  animates,  while  the  objects  are  referred  to  as 
whole  and  complete  species.  But  the  gender  must  be  changed, 
when  it  becomes  necessary  to  speak  of  separate  numbers.  Man, 
woman,  father,  mother,  are  separate  nouns,  so  long  as  the  indivi- 
duals are  meant;  but  hand,  foot,  head,  eye,  ear,  tongue,  are  iuani- 


APPENDIX.  457 

mates.  Buck,  is  an  animate  noun,  wliile  Ins  entire  carcass  is 
referred  to,  whether  living  or  dead ;  but  neck,  back,  heart,  wind- 
pipe, take  the  inanimate  form.  In  like  manner,  eagle,  swan,  dove, 
are  distinguished  as  animates;  but  beak,  wing,  tail,  are  arranged 
with  inanimates.  So  oak,  pine,  ash,  are  animate;  branch,  leaf, 
root,  inanimates. 

Reciprocal  exceptions,  however,  exist  to  this  rule — the  reasons 
for  which,  as  in  the  former  instance,  may  generally  be  sought, 
either  in  peculiar  opinions  of  the  Indians,  or  in  the  peculiar 
qualities  or  uses  of  the  objects.  Thus  the  talons  of  the  eagle, 
and  the  claws  of  the  bear,  and  of  other  animals,  w^hich  furnish 
ornaments  for  the  neck,  are  invariably  spoken  of,  under  the  animate 
form.  The  hoofs  and  horns  of  all  quadrupeds,  which  are  applied 
to  various  economical  and  mystic  purposes ;  the  castorum  of  the 
beaver,  and  the  nails  of  man,  are  similarly  situated.  The  vegeta- 
ble creation  also  furnishes  some  exceptions  of  this  nature ;  such 
are  the  names  for  the  outer  bark  of  all  trees  (except  the  birch), 
and  the  branches,  the  roots,  and  the  resin  of  the  spruce,  and  its 
congeners. 

In  a  language,  which  considers  all  nature  as  separated  into  two 
classes  of  bodies,  characterized  by  the  presence  or  absence  of  life ; 
neuter  nouns  will  scarcely  be  looked  for,  although  such  may  exist 
without  my  knowledge.  Neuters  are  found  amongst  the  verbs 
and  the  adjectives,  but  it  is  doubtful  whether  they  render  the 
nouns  to  which  they  are  applied  neuters,  in  the  sense  we  attach 
to  that  term.  The  subject  in  all  its  bearings  is  interesting,  and  a 
full  and  minute  description  of  it  would  probably  elicit  new  light 
respecting  some  doubtful  points  in  the  language,  and  contribute 
something  towards  a  curious  collateral  topic — the  history  of  In- 
dian opinions.  1  have  stated  the  principle  broadly,  without  fdling 
up  the  subject  of  exceptions  as  fully  as  it  is  in  my  power,  and 
without  following  its  bearings  upon  points  which  will  more  pro- 
perly come  under  discussion  at  other  stages  of  the  inquiry.  A 
sufficient  outline,  it  is  believed,  has  been  given,  and  having  thus 
met,  at  the  threshold,  a  principle  deeply  laid  at  the  foundation  of 
the  language,  and  one  which  will  be  perpetually  recurring,  I 
shall  proceed  to  enumerate  some  other  prominent  features  of  the 
substantive. 

2.  No  language  is  perhaps  so  defective,  as  to  be  totally  without 


•158  APPENDIX. 

number.  But  there  are,  probably,  few  wbicb.  furnisTi  so  many 
modes  of  indicating  it,  as  the  Odjibwai.  There  are  as  many  modes 
of  forming  the  plural,  as  there  are  vowel  sounds,  yet  there  is  no 
distinction  between  a  limited  and  unlimited  plural ;  although  there 
is,  in  the  pronoun,  an  inclusive  and  an  exclusive  plaral.  Whether 
we  say  mcin  or  men^  two  men  or  twenty  men,  the  singular  inin'i,  and 
the  plural  inin'iiuuff,  remains  the  same.  But  if  we  say  ive,  or  us, 
or  our  7nen  (who  are  present),  or  lue,  or  tts,  or  our  Indians  (in  gene- 
ral), the  pkiral  we,  and  ics,  and  our — for  they  are  rendered  by  the 
same  form — admit  of  a  change  to  indicate  whether  the  objective 
person  be  included  or  excluded.  This  principle,  of  which  full  ex- 
amples will  be  given  under  the  appropriate  head,  forms  a  single 
and  anomalous  instance  of  the  use  of  particular  plurals.  And  it 
carries  its  distinctions,  by  means  of  the  pronouns,  separable  and 
inseparable,  into  the  verbs  and  substantives,  creating  the  necessity 
of  double  conjugations  and  double  declensions,  in  the  plural  forms 
of  the  first  person.  Thus,  the  term  for  "  Oar  Father,"  which,  in 
the  inclusive  form  is  Kosindn,  is,  in  the  exclusive,  N6sindn. 

The  particular  plural,  which  is  thus,  by  the  transforming  power 
of  the  language,  carried  from  the  pronoun  into  the  texture  of  the 
verb  and  substantive,  is  not  limited  to  any  fixed  number  of  per- 
sons or  objects,  but  arises  from  the  operations  of  the  verb.  The 
general  plural  is  variously  made.  But  the  plurals  making  inflec- 
,tions  take  upon  themselves  an  additional  power  or  sign,  by  which 
substantives  are  distinguished  into  animate  and  inanimate.  With- 
out this  additional  poAver,  all  nouns  plural  would  end  in  the 
vowels  a,  e,  i,  o,  u.  But  to  mark  the  gender,  the  letter  g  is  added 
to  animates,  and  the  letter  n  to  inanimates,  making  the  plurals 
of  the  first  class  terminate  in  drj,  eeg,  ig,  og,  ug,  and  of  the  second 
class  in  an,  een,  in,  on,  un.  Ten  modes  of  forming  the  plural  are 
thus  provided,  five  of  which  are  animate,  and  five  inanimate 
plurals.  A  strong  and  clear  line  of  distinction  is  thus  drawn  be- 
tween the  two  classes  of  words;  so  unerring,  indeed,  in  its  applica- 
tion, that  it  is  only  necessary  to  inquire  how  the  plural  is  formed, 
to  determine  whether  it  belonged  to  one  or  the  other  class.  The 
distinctions  which  we  have  endeavored  to  convey  will,  perhaps, 
be  more  clearly  perceived,  by  adding  examples  of  the  use  of  each 
of  the  plurals. 


APPENDIX. 


459 


Animate  Plural. 


a. 

Odjibwai, 

a  Chippewa.              Odjibwaig, 

Chippewas. 

e. 

Ojee, 

a  Fly.                         Oj-eeg, 

Flies. 

i. 

Kosenan, 

Our  father,  (in.)     Koscnan-ig, 

Our  fathers,  (in.) 

0. 

Ahmo, 

a  Bee.                         Ahm-6g, 

Bees. 

u. 

Ais, 

a  Schell.                    Ais-ug, 

Inanimate  Plural. 

Shells. 

a. 

Islikodai, 

Fire.                            Ishkodain, 

Fires. 

e. 

Wadop, 

Alder.                           'VVadop-een, 

Alders. 

i. 

Afletaig, 

Fruit.                           Adetaig-in, 

Fruits. 

0. 

Nodin, 

Wind.                           Nodiu-6n, 

Winds. 

u. 

Meen, 

Berry.                          Meen-un, 

Berries. 

"Where  a  noun  terminates  witli  a  vowel  in  the  singular,  the 
addition  of  the  ^,  or  n,  shows  at  once,  both  the  plural  and  the 
gender.  In  other  instances,  as  in  peenai^  a  partridge — seebi^  a  river 
— it  requires  a  consonant  to  precede  the  plural  vowel,  in  con- 
formity with  a  rule  previously  stated.  Thus,  peenai,  is  rendered 
peenai-wug — and  seebi^  seehi-wun.  "Where  the  noun  singular  ter- 
minates in  the  broad,  instead  of  the  long  sound  of  a,  as  in  6gimd, 
a  chief,  ishpatind^  a  hill,  the  plural  is  ogim-ag,  ishpatindn.  But 
these  are  mere  modifications  of  two  of  the  above  forms,  and  are 
by  no  means  entitled  to  be  considered  as  additional  plurals. 

Comparatively  few  substances  are  without  number.  The  fol- 
lowing may  be  enumerated : — 


Missun'', 

Firewood. 

Ussaima, 

Tobacco. 

Pinggwi, 

Ashes. 

Naigow, 

Sand. 

M^jim, 

Food. 

Ahwun, 

Mist. 

Kon, 

Snow. 

Kimmiwun, 

Rain. 

Mishk'wi, 

Blood. 

Ossakumig, 

Moss. 

Ukkukkuzhas, 

Coals. 

Unitshimin, 

Peas. 

Others  may  be  found,  and  indeed,  a  few  others  arc  known. 
But  it  is  less  an  object,  in  this  lecture,  to  pursue  exceptions  into 
their  minutest  ramifications,  than  to  sketch  broad  rules,  applicable, 
if  not  to  every  word,  to  at  least  a  majority  of  words  in  the  lan- 
guage. 

There  is,  however,  one  exception  from  the  general  use  of  num- 
ber, so  peculiar  in  itself,  that  not  to  point  it  out  would  be  an 
unpardonable  remissness  in  giving  the  outlines  of  a  language,  in 
which  it  is  an  object  neither  to  extenuate  faults  nor  to  overrate 


460  APPENDIX. 

beauties.  This  exception  consists  in  the  want  of  number  in  the 
third  person  of  the  declensions  of  animate  nouns,  and  the  conjuga- 
tion of  animate  verbs.  Not  that  such  words  are  destitute  of 
number,  in  their  simple  forms,  or  when  used  under  circumstances 
requiring  no  change  of  these  simple  forms — no  prefixes  and  no 
inflections.  But  it  will  be  seen,  at  a  glance,  how  very  limited 
such  an  application  of  words  must  be,  in  a  transpositive  language. 
Thus  mang  and  Mg  (loon  and  porcupine)  take  the  plural  inflec- 
tion ivug^  becoming  mang  loug  and  T<:ag  wug  (loons  and  porcu- 
pines).    So,  in  their  pronominal  declension  : — 


]My  loon 

Ni  mang 

oom 

Thy  loon 

Ki  mang 

oom 

My  porcupine 

Ni  gag 

oom 

Thy  porcupine 

Ki  gag 

oom 

My  loons 

Ni  mang 

oom 

ug 

Thy  loons 

Ki  mang 

oom 

ug 

My  porcupines 

Ni  gag 

oom 

ug 

Thy  porcupines 

Ki  gag 

oom 

ug 

But  his  loon,  or  loons  (o  mang  oom  un),  his  porcupine  or  jior- 
cupines  (o  gag  oom  U7i),  are  without  number.  The  rule  applies 
equally  to  the  class  of  words  in  which  the  pronouns  are  insepa- 
rable. Thus,  my  father  and  thy  father,  nos  and  Jc6s,  become  my 
fathers  and  thy  fathers,  by  the  numerical  inflection  ug,  forming 
nosug  and  h6sug.  But  6sun,  his  father  or  fathers,  is  vague,  and 
does  not  indicate  whether  there  be  one  father  or  twenty  fathers. 
The  inflection  ?m,  merely  denotes  the  olject.  The  rule  also  applies 
equally  to  sentences  in  which  the  noun  is  governed  by  or  governs 
the  verb.  Whether  we  say,  "  I  saw  a  bear,"  ningi  wdbumd  mnh- 
wah,  or  "  a  bear  saw  me,"  muhiuah  ningi  ludhumig,  the  noun,  itself, 
undergoes  no  change,  and  its  number  is  definite.  But  ogi  wabum- 
dn  nuik-wun,  "  he  saw  bear,"  is  indefinite,  although  both  the  verb 
and  the  noun  have  changed  their  ending;s.  And  if  the  narrator 
does  not  subsequently  determine  the  number,  the  hearer  is  either 
left  in  doubt,  or  must  resolve  it  by  a  question.  In  fine,  the  whole 
acts  of  the  third  person  are  thus  rendered  questionable.  This 
want  of  precision,  which  would  seem  to  be  fraught  with  so  much 
confusion,  appears  to  be  obviated  in  practice,  b}''  the  employment 
of  adjectives,  by  numerical  inflections  in  the  relative  words  of 
the  sentence,  by  the  use  of  the  indefinite  article,  paizhik,  or  by 
demonstrative  pronouns.      Thus,  p)aiz]iik  muhvun  ogi  ivabum-dn, 


ArPENDix.  461 

conveys  "with  certainty  the  information  "  lie  saw  a  bear,"  But 
in  this  sentence  both  the  noun  and  the  verb  retain  the  objective 
inflections,  as  in  the  former  instances.  These  inflections  are  not 
uniformly  un,  but  sometimes  een,  as  in  ogeen^  his  mother,  and 
sometimes  6n,  as  in  odakeek-6n^  his  kettle,  in  all  which  instances, 
however,  the  number  is  left  indeterminate.  It  may  hence  be 
observed,  and  it  is  a  remark  which  we  shall  presently  have  occa- 
sion to  corroborate,  that  the  plural  inflection  to  inanimate  nouns 
(which  have  no  objective  form),  forms  the  objective  inflection  to 
animate  nouns,  which  have  no  number  in  the  third  person. 

3.  This  leads  us  to  the  consideration  of  the  mode  of  forming 
possessives,  the  existence  of  which,  when  it  shall  have  been  indi- 
cated by  full  examples,  will  present  to  the  mind  of  the  inquirer, 
one  of  those  tautologies  in  grammatical  forms,  which,  without 
imparting  additional  precision,  serve  to  clothe  the  language  with 
accumulated  verbiage.  The  strong  tendency  to  combination  and 
amalo-amation,  existing-  in  the  lan2;uao;e,  renders  it  difficult,  in 
fact,  to  discuss  the  principles  of  it  in  that  elementary  form  which 
could  be  wished.  In  the  analysis  of  words  and  forms  we  are 
constantly  led  from  the  central  point  of  discussion.  To  recur, 
however,  from  these  collateral  unravellings  to  the  main  thread  of 
inquiry,  at  as  short  and  frequent  intervals  as  possible,  and  thus 
to  preserve  the  chain  of  conclusions  and  proofs,  is  so  important, 
that,  without  keeping  the  object  distinctly  in  view,  I  should  de- 
spair of  conveying  any  clear  impressions  of  those  grammatical 
features  which  impart  to  the  language  its  peculiar  character. 

It  has  been  remarked  that  the  distinctions  of  number  are 
founded  upon  a  modification  of  the  five  vowel  sounds.  Posses- 
sives are  likewise  founded  upon  the  basis  of  the  vowel  sounds. 
There  are  five  declensions  of  the  noun  to  mark  the  possessive, 
ending  in  the  possessive  in  dm,  eem,  im,  6m,  um,  oom.  Where  the 
nominative  ends  with  a  vowel,  the  possessive  is  made  by  adding 
the  letter  m,  as  in  maimai,  a  woodcock,  oii  maimaim,  my  wood- 
cock, &c.  Where  the  nominative  ends  in  a  consonant,  as  in  ais, 
a  shell,  the  full  possessive  inflection  is  required,  making  nin  dais- 
im,  my  shell.  In  the  latter  form,  the  consonant  d  is  interposed 
between  the  pronoun  and  noun,  and  sounded  with  the  noun,  in 
conformity  with  a  general  rule.  Where  the  nominative  ends  in 
the  broad  in  lieu  of  the  long  sound  of  a,  as  in  ogirnd,  a  chief,  the 


462  APPENDIX. 

possessive  is  dm.  The  sound  of  ?*,  in  tlie  tliird  declension,  is  that 
of  i  in  pin,  and  the  sound  of  m,  in  the  fifth  declension,  is  that  of 
u  in  bull.     The  latter  will  be  uniformly  represented  by  oo. 

The  possessive  declensions  run  throughout  both  the  animate 
and  inanimate  classes  of  nouns,  with  some  exceptions  in  the  latter, 
as  knife,  bowl,  paddle,  &c. 

Inanimate  nouns  are  thus  declined. 


Nominative. 

Ishkodai,  Fire. 

Possessive. 

^ly, 

Nin  Dishkod-aim. 

Thy, 

Ki    Disbkod-aim. 

His, 

0     Disbkod-aim. 

Our, 

Ki    Disbkod-aim- ina,n.  (in.) 

— 

Ni    Disbkod-aim-inan.   (ex.^ 

Your, 

Ki    Disbkod-aim-iwa. 

Their, 

0     Disbko-aim-iwa. 

Those  words  which  form  exceptions  from  this  declension,  take 
the  separable  pronouns  before  them  as  follows: — 

Mokoman,  A  Knife. 

Ni  mokoman,  My  Knife. 

Ki  mokoman,  Tby  Knife. 

0  mokoman,  His  Knife,  &c. 

Animate  substantives  are  declined  precisely  in  the  same  manner 
as  inanimate,  except  in  the  third  person,  which  takes  to  the  pos- 
sessive inflections,  aim,  eem,  im^  6m,  oom,  the  objective  particle  un, 
denoting  the  compound  inflection  of  this  person,  both  in  the 
singular  and  plural,  aimun,  eemun,  imun,  6mun,  oomun,  and  the 
variation  of  the  first  vowel  sound,  dmun.  Thus,  to  furnish  an 
example  of  the  second  declension,  ^^'i^Juh]  a  bison,  changes  its 
forms  to  711771,  hizhik-im,  my  bison — ke  hizMk-im^  thy  bison,  0  hiz- 
hik-imun,  his  bison,  or  bisons. 

The  cause  of  this  double  inflection  in  the  third  person,  may  be 
left  for  future  inquiry.  But  we  may  add  further  examples  in  aid 
of  it.  We  cannot  simply  say,  "  The  chief  has  killed  a  bear,"  or, 
to  reverse  the  object  upon  which  the  energy  of  the  verb  is  ex- 
erted, "The  bear  has  killed  a  chief."  But,  ogimd  ogi  nissdn  muk- 
wym,  literally,  "  Chief  he  has  has  killed  him  bear,"  or,  mukvjah  ogi 


APPENDIX.  463 

nissdn  ogimdn,  "Bear  lie  lias  killed  liim  cliief."  Ilere  tlic  verb 
and  the  noun  are  both  objective  in  un,  which  is  sounded  an,  where 
it  comes  after  the  broad  sound  of  a,  as  in  missdn,  objective  of  the 
verb  to  kill.  If  we  confer  the  powers  of  the  English  possessive 
('5),  upon  the  inflections  aim,  eem,  im,  6m,  00m,  and  dm,  respectively, 
and  the  meaning  of  him,  and  of  course  he,  her,  his,  hers,  they,  theirs 
(as  there  is  no  declension  of  the  pronoun,  and  no  number  to  the; 
third  person),  upon  the  objective  particle  un,  we  shall  then  trans- 
late the  above  expression,  0  hizhik-eemum.,  his  bison's  hisn.  If  we 
reject  this  meaning,  as  I  think  we  should,  the  sentence  would  read, 
"His  bison,"  him,  a  mere  tautology. 

It  is  true,  it  may  be  remarked,  that  the  noun  possessed,  has  a 
corresponding  termination,  or  pronominal  correspondence,  with 
the  pronoun  possessor,  also  a  final  termination  indicative  of  its 
being  the  object  on  which  the  verb  exerts  its  influence — a  mode  of 
expression,  which,  so  far  as  relates  to  the  possessive,  would  be 
deemed  superfluous,  in  modern  languages ;  but  may  have  some 
analogy  in  the  Latin  accusatives  am,  um,  em. 

It  is  a  constant  and  unremitting  aim  in  the  Indian  languages 
to  distinguish  the  actor  from  the  object,  partly  by  prefixes,  and 
partly  by  inseparable  suffixes.  That  the  termination  un,  is  one 
of  these  inseparable  particles,  and  that  its  office,  while  it  confounds 
the  number,  is  to  designate  the  object,  appears  probable  from  the 
fact,  that  it  retains  its  connection  with  the  noun,  whether  the  latter 
follow  or  precede  the  verb,  or  whatever  its  position  in  the  sen- 
tence may  be. 

Thus  we  can,  without  any  perplexity  in  the  meaning  say,  Wai- 
raiitigtzMwug  ogi  sagidn  Pontiac-un,  "Frenchmen,  they  did  love 
Pontiac  him.  Or  to  reverse  it,  Pontiac-un  Waimittigozhiwug  ogi 
sagidn,  "  Pontiac,  he  did  Frenchmen  he  loved."  The  termination 
un,  in  both  instances,  clearly  determines  the  object  beloved.  So 
in  the  following  instance,  Sagunoshug  ogi  sagidn  Tecumseh-un, 
"Englishmen,  they  did  love  Tecumseh,"  or  Tecumseh-un  Sagunos- 
hug oji  sagidn,  "Tecumseh,  he  did  Englishmen  he  loved." 

In  tracing  the  operation  of  this  rule,  through  the  doublings  o*;* 
the  language,  it  is  necessary  to  distinguish  every  modification  of 
sound,  whether  it  is  accompanied  or. not  accompanied  by  a  modi- 
fication of  the  sense.  The  particle  un,  which  thus  marks  the  third 
j[)erson  and  persons,  is  sometimes  pronounced  icun,  and  sometimes 


4:64:  APPEXDIX. 

yun^  as  the  liarraony  of  tlie  word  to  whicli  it  is  suffixed  may 
require.  But  not  the  slightest  change  is  thereby  made  in  its 
meaning. 

Wabojeeg  ogi  meegan-an  nadowaisi-wun. 

Wixbojeeg  fought  his  enemies.    L.*  A¥.  he  did  fight  them,  his  enemy,  or  enemies. 

0  sagi-an  inini-wun. 

He,  or  she,  loves  a  man.     L.  He,  or  she,  loves  him-man,  or  men. 

Kigo-yun  Tvaindji  pimmadizziwad. 

They  subsist  on  fish.     L.  Fish  or  fishes,  they  upon  them,  they  live, 

Ontwa  0  sagian  odi-yun. 

Ontwa  loves  his  dog.     L.  0.  he  loves  him,  his  dog,  or  dogs. 

In  these  sentences,  the  letters  iv  and  y  are  introduced  before 
the  inflection  ?m,  merely  for  euphony's  sake,  and  to  enable  the 
speaker  to  utter  the  final  vowel  of  the  substantive,  and  the  in- 
flective vowel,  without  placing  both  under  the  accent.  It  is  to 
be  remarked  in  these  examples,  that  the  verb  has  a  corresponding 
inflection  with  the  noun,  indicated  by  the  final  consonant  w,  as  in 
sagid-n,  objective  of  the  verb  to  love.  This  is  merely  a  modifica- 
tion of  z«2,  where  it  is  requisite  to  employ  it  after  broad  a  {au:), 
and  it  is  applicable  to  nouns  as  well  as  verbs  whenever  they  end 
in  that  sound.  Thus,  in  the  phrase,  "  He  saw  a  chief,"  0  wd- 
humd-n  0  gimd-n,  both  noun  and  verb  terminate  in  n.  It  is  im- 
material to  the  sense,  which  precedes.  And  this  leads  to  the 
conclusion,  which  we  are  in  some  measure  compelled  to  state  in 
anticipation  of  our  remarks  on  the  verb :  That  verbs  must  not 
only  agree  with  their  nominatives  in  number,  person,  and  gender 
(we  use  the  latter  term  for  want  of  a  more  appropriate  one),  but 
also  with  their  objectives.  Hence,  the  objective  sign  n  in  the 
above  examples.  Sometimes  this  sign  is  removed  from  the  end- 
ing of  the  verb,  to  make  room  for  the  plural  of  the  nominative 
person,  and  is  subjoined  to  the  latter.     Thus, 

0  sagia(wa)n. 

They  love  them  (him  or  them). 

In  this  phrase,  the  interposed  syllable  (wd)  is,  apparently,  the 
plural — it  is  a  reflective  plural — of  he — the  latter  being  indicated, 
as  usual,  by  the  sign  0.  It  has  been  observed,  above,  that  the 
deficiency  in  number,  in  the  third  person,  is  sometimes  supplied 
"by  numerical  inflections  in  the  relative  words  of  the  sentence," 
and  this  interposed  particle  (ted)  afibrds  an  instance  in  point. 

*  L.  for  literally. 


APPENDIX.  465 

The  number  of  the  nominative  pronoun  appears  to  bo  tlius  ren- 
dered prc*cisc,  but  tbe  objective  is  still  indefinite. 

When  two  nouns  are  used  without  a  verb  in  the  sentence,  or 
■when  two  nouns  compose  the  whole  matter  uttered,  being  in  the 
third  person,  both  have  the  full  objective  inflection.     Thus, 

Os-(vin).     Odi-(yun). 

Ilis  father's  dog.     L.  Ilis  fatlicr — his  Jog  or  dogs. 

There  are  certain  words,  however,  which  will  not  admit  the 
objective  un^  either  in  its  simple  or  modified  forms.  These  are 
rendered  objective  in  ee??,  or  On. 

0  ■wabuma-(n),  ossin-(eeii). 

He  sees  the  stone.     L.  He  sees  him — stone  or  stones. 

0  ■wabuma-(n)  mittig  o  mizh-(een).     L.  He  sees  him,  tree  or  trees. 

He  sees  an  oak  tree. 

0  mittig  -svab  (een),  gyai  o  bikwuk-(on). 

His  bow  and  his  arrows.     L.  His  bow  him,  and  his  arrows,  him  or  them. 

Odju  I  wa  I  wa  (n),  akkik-(on). 

They  possess  a  kettle.     L.  They  own  them,  kettle  or  kettles. 

The  syllable  wd^  in  the  verb  of  the  last  example  included  be- 
tween bars  (instead  of  parentheses),  is  the  reflective  plural  tJiey 
pointed  out  in  a  preceding  instance. 

1  shall  conclude  these  remarks,  with  full  examples  of  each  pro- 
nominal declension. 

a.  First  declension,  forming  the  first  and  second  persons  in  aim^ 
and  the  third  in  aimim. 

Nominative. 

Pintii,  a  partridge. 
Piniii-wug,  partridges. 

First  and  second  person. 

My,  Nim  Bin-aim. 

Thy,  Ki  Bin-aim. 

Our,  Ki  Bin-aim  inan.     Inchisiye  plural. 

Our,  Ni  Bin-aiminan.      E:sclusive  plural,  i 

Your,  Ki  Bin-aim  wil. 

Third  person. 

His,      0  Bin-aim  (uu). 
Their,  0  Bin-aim  iwa  (n). 

30 


4:QQ  APPENDIX, 

e.  Second  declension  forming  the  first  and  second  persons  in 
eem,  and  the  third  in  eemun. 

Nominative. 

Ossin,  a  stone. 
Ossineen,  stones. 

First  and  second  persons. 

My,  Nin  Dossin-eem. 

Thy,  Ki  Dossin-eem. 

Our,  Ki  Dossin-eeminan.   (in.) 

Our,  Ni  Dossin-eeminan.   (ex.) 

Your,  Ke  Dossin-eemewa. 

Third  person. 

His,      0  Dossin-eem  (un). 
Their,  0  Dossin-eemewa  (n). 

i.  Third  declension  forming  the  first  and  second  persons  in  m, 
and  the  third  in  imun. 

Nominative. 

Ais,  a  shell. 
Aisug,  shells. 

First  and  second  persons. 

My,     Nin  Dais-im. 

Thy,    Ki  Dais-im. 

Our,    Ki  Dais-iminan.   (in.) 

Our,     Ni  Dais-iminan.   (ex.) 

Your,  Ki  Dais-imiwa. 

Third  person. 

His,      0  Dais-im  (un). 
Their,  0  Dais-imewa  (n). 

0.  Fourth  declension  forming  the  first  and  second  persons  in 
dm,  and  the  third  in  omun. 

Nominative. 

Monido,  a  Spirit. 
Monidog,  Spirits. 


APPENDIX.  467 

First  and  second  persons. 


My, 

Ni  Monid-om. 

Thy, 

Ki  Monid-ora. 

Our, 

Ki  Monid-ominan.  (in.) 

Our, 

Ni  Monid-ominan.  (ex.) 

Your, 

Ki  Monid-omiwa. 

Third  person. 

His,      0  monid-6m  (un). 

Tlieir,  0  Monid-omewa  (n).  ' 

u.  {oo)  Fifth  declension  forming  the  first  and  second  persons  in 
oom,  and  the  third  in  oomun. 

Nominative. 

M6z,  a  Moose. 
Mozog,  Moose. 

First  and  second  persons. 

My,     Ni  Moz-oom. 

Thy,    Ki  Moz-oom. 

Our,    Ki  Moz-oominan.     (in.) 

Our,    Ni  Moz-oominan.     (ex.) 

Your,  Ki  Moz-oomiwu. 

Third  person. 

His,     0  Moz  com  (un). 
Their,  0  Moz  oomiwa  (n). 

aw.  Additional  declension,  required  when  the  noun  ends  in  the 
broad,  instead  of  the  long  sound  of  a,  forming  the  possessive  in 
dm^  and  the  objective  in  dmun. 

Nominative. 

Ogima,  a  Chief. 
Ogimag,  Chiefs. 

First  and  second  persons. 

My,     Ni  Dogim  am. 

Thy,    Ki  Dogim  am. 

Our,    Ki  Dogim  aminan,     (in.) 

Our,    Ni  Dogim  aminan.     (ex.) 

Your,  Ki  Dogim  amiwa. 


468  APPENDIX. 

Third  person. 

His,     0  Dogim  tim  (un). 
Their,  0  Dogim  amiwa  (n). 

The  abbreviations,  m.,  and  ex.,  in  these  declensions,  mark  the 
inclusive  and  exclusive  forms  of  the  pronoun  plural.  The  inflec- 
tion of  the  third  person,  as  it  is  superadded  to  the  first  and  second, 
is  included  between  parentheses,  that  the  eye,  unaccustomed  to 
t^ese  extended  forms,  may  readily  detect  it. 

"Where  the  inseparable,  instead  of  the  separable  pronoun  is 
employed,  the  possessive  inflection  of  the  first  and  second  person 
is  dispensed  with,  although  the  inflection  of  the  third  is  still 
retained. 

Os:  Father. 

S.  singular. 
Nos.     My  father. 
Kos.     Thy  father. 

Os-un.     His  father.         Sinff.  and  plural. 
Nos-inan.     Our  father,    (ex.) 
Kos-inan.     Our  father,     (in.) 
Kos-iwa.     Your  father. 
Os-iwan.     Their  father.     Sing,  and  plural. 

S.  plural. 
Nos-ug.     My  fathers. 
Kos-ug.     Thy  fathers. 
Os-un.     His  fathers.     Sing,  and  plural. 
Nos.-inan  ig.     Our  fathers,     (ex.) 
Kos.-inan  ig.     Our  fathers,    (in.) 
Kos-iwag.     Your  fathers. 
Os-iwan.     Their  fathers.     Sing,  and  plural. 

The  word  dog,  and  this  word  alone,  is  declined  in  the  follow- 


g  manner. 

Annimoosh:  a  Dog. 

S. 

singular. 

Nin 

Dy  (or  Di)  My  dog. 

Ki 

Dy 

Thy  dog. 

0 

Dy-un 

His  dog  or  dogs. 

Ki 

Dy-inan 

Our  dog.    (in.) 

Ni 

Dy-inan 

Our  dog.    (ex.) 

Ki 

Dy-iwa 

Your  dog. 

0 

Dy-iwan 

Their  dog,  &c. 

S 

plural. 

Nin 

Dy-ug 

My  dogs. 

Ki 

Dy-ug 

Thy  dogs. 

APPENDIX. 

0 

Dy-un          Ilis  dogs,  &c. 

Ki 

Dy-inSnig   Our  clogs,     (in.) 

Ni 

Dy-inanig   Our  dogs,    (ex.) 

Ki 

Dy-iwag      Your  dogs. 

0 

Dy-iwau      His  dogs,  &c. 

469 


The  word  Dy,  wliicli  supplies  this  declension,  is  derived  from 
Indyidm  mine,  jpron.  an. — a  derivative  form  of  the  word,  which  is, 
however,  exclusively  restricted,  in  its  meaning,  to  the  dog.  If 
the  expression  Nin  Dy  or  N''  Dy,  is  sometimes  applied  to  the 
horse,  it  is  because  it  is  thereby  intended  to  call  bim,  my  dog, 
from  his  being  in  a  state  of  servitude  similar  to  that  of  tbe  dog. 
It  must  be  borne  in  mind,  as  connected  with,  tliis  subject,  that 
the  doo-,  in  high  northern  latitudes,  and  even  as  far  soutb  as  42 
degrees,  is  both  a  beast  of  draught  and  of  burden.  He  is  com- 
pelled during  the  winter  season  to  draw  tlie  odcihan,  or  Indian 
sleigb ;  and  sometimes  to  support  the  burden  upon  his  back,  by 
means  of  a  kind  of  drag  constructed  of  slender  poles. 

A  review  of  the  facts  whicb  have  been-  brought  together 
respecting  the  substantive,  will  show  that  the  separable  or  inse- 
parable pronouns  under  the  form  of  prefixes,  are  throughout  re- 
quired. It  will  also  indicate,  that  the  inflections  of  the  first  and 
second  persons  whicb  occupy  the  place  of  possessives,  and  those 
of  the  third  person,  resembling  objectives,  pertain  to  words,  which 
are  either  primitives,  or  denote  but  a  single  object,  as  nioose^fire. 
There  is,  however,  another  class  of  substantives,  or  substantive 
expressions,  and  an  extensive  class — for  it  embraces  a  great  por- 
tion of  the  compound  descriptive  terms — in  the  use  of  which  no 
pronominal  prefixes  are  required.  The  distinctions  of  person  are, 
exclusively,  supplied  by  pronominal  suffixes.  Of  this  character 
are  the  words  descriptive  of  country,  place  of  dwelling,  field  of 
battle,  place  of  employment,  &c.  The  following  example  will 
furnish  the  inflections  applicable  to  this  entire  class  of  words : — 

Aindad  :  Home,  or  place  of  dwelling. 

S.  singular. 

Ainda-j'an.  My  home. 

Ainda-yun.  Thy  home. 

Ainda-d.  His  home. 

Ainda-yang.  Our  home,  (ex.) 

Ainda-yung.  Our  home,   (in.) 

Ainda-yaig.  Your  home. 

Ainda-wad.  Their  home. 


470  APPENDIX. 

S.  plural.  , 

Ainda-yaa-in.  My  homes. 

Ainda-yun-in.  Thy  homes. 

Ainda-jin.  His  homes. 

Ainda-yang-in.  Our  homes,   (ex.) 

Ainda-yung-in.  Our  homes,  (in.) 

Ainda-yaig-in.  Your  homes. 

Ainda-wadjin.  Their  homes. 

By  these  examples,  it  is  perceived  that  the  final  d  in  ainddd  is 
not  essential  to  its  primitive  meaning ;  and  that  the  place  of  the 
pronoun  is,  in  respect  to  this  word,  invariably  a  snffix.  Ainddd 
means,  truly,  not  home,  but  his  home.  The  plural  is  formed  by 
the  inflection  in^  except  in  the  third  person,  where  the  sound  of  d 
sinks  in  j. 


Inquiry  2. 

Further  remarks  on  the  substantive — Local,  diminutive,  derogative,  and  tensal  in- 
flections— Mode  in  which  the  latter  are  employed  to  denote  the  disease  of  indi- 
viduals, and  to  indicate  the  past  and  future  seasons — Restricted  or  sexual  terms 
— Conversion  of  the  substantive  into  a  verb,  and  the  reciprocal  character  of  the 
verb  by  which  it  is  converted  into  a  substantive — Derivative  and  compound  sub- 
stantives— Summary  of  the  properties  of  this  part  of  speech. 

In  the  view  which  has  been  taken  of  the  substantive  in  the 
preceding  Inquiry,  it  has  been  deemed  proper  to  exclude  several 
topics,  which,  from  their  peculiarities,  it  was  believed  could  be 
more  satisfactorily  discussed  in  a  separate  form.  Of  this  charac- 
ter are  those  modifications  of  the  substantive  by  which  locality, 
diminution,  a  defective  quality,  and  the  past  tense  are  expressed ; 
by  which  various  adjective  and  adverbial  significations  are  given ; 
and,  finally,  the  substantives  themselves  converted  into  verbs. 
Such  are  also  the  mode  of  indicating  the  masculine  and  feminine 
(both  merged,  as  we  have  shown,  in  the  animate  class),  and  those 
words  which  are  of  a  strictly  sexual  character,  or  are  restricted  in 
their  use  either  to  males  or  females,  Not  less  interesting  is  the 
manner  of  forming  derivatives,  and  of  conferring  upon  the  de- 
rivatives so  formed  o,  personality^  distinguished  as  either  animate 
or  inanimate,  at  the  option  of  the  speaker. 


APPEXDIX.  471 

Much  of  the  flexibility  of  the  substantive  is  derived  from  these 
properties,  and  they  undoubtedly  add  much  to  the  figurative 
character  of  the  language.  Some  of  them  have  been  thought 
analogous  to  case,  particularly  that  inflection  of  the  noun  which 
indicates  the  locality  of  the  object.  But  if  so,  then  there  would 
be  equally  strong  reasons  for  establishing  an  adjective^  and  an 
adverbial^  as  well  as  a  local  case,  and  a  plurality  of  forms  in  each. 
But  it  is  believed  that  no  such  necessity  exists.  There  is  no 
regular  declension  of  these  forms,  and  they  are  all  used  under 
limitations  and  restrictions  incompatible  with  the  true  principles 
of  case. 

It  is  under  this  view  of  the  subject,  that  the  discussion  of  these 
forms  has  been  transferred,  together  with  the  other  accidents  of 
the  substantive  just  adverted  to,  and  reserved  as  the  subject- 
matter  of  a  separate  inquiry.  And  in  now  proceeding  to  express 
the  conclusions  at  which  we  have  arrived  touching  these  points, 
it  will  be  an  object  so  to  compress  and  arrange  the  materials 
before  us,  as  to  present  within  a  small  compass  the  leading  facts 
and  examples  upon  which  each  separate  position  depends. 

1.  That  quality  of  the  noun  which,  in  the  shape  of  an  inflec- 
tion, denotes  the  relative  situation  of  the  object,  by  the  contiguous 
position  of  some  accessory  object,  is  expressed  in  the  English  lan- 
guage by  the  prepositions  w?,  into^  at,  or  on.  In  the  Indian,  they 
are  denoted  by  an  inflection.  Thus,  the  phrase  "  In  the  box,"  is 
rendered  in  the  Indian  by  one  word,  mukulcoong.  Of  this  word, 
muhulc,  simply,  is  box.  The  termination,  oong,  denoting  the 
locality,  not  of  the  box,  but  of  the  object  sought  after.  The  ex- 
pression appears  to  be  precise,  although  there  is  no  definite  article 
in  the  language. 

The  substantive  takes  this  form,  most  commonly,  after  a  ques- 
tion has  been  put,  as  Anindl  ni  mohovian-ais  ?  "  Where  is  my  pen- 
knife?" MukidMong  (in  the  box),  add6])oiom-%nrj  (on  the  table), 
are  definite  replies  to  this  question.  But  the  form  is  not  restricted 
to  this  relation.  Chimdn-ing  n^guh  p6z,  "I  shall  embark  in  the 
canoe ;"  ivakyigum  ii'ghu  izhd,  "  I  shall  go  into  the  house,"  are 
perfectly  correct,  though  somewhat  formal  expressions,  when  the 
canoe  or  the  house  are  present  to  the  speaker's  view. 

The  meaning  of  these  inflections  has  been  restricted  to  in,  into, 


472  APPENDIX. 

at^  and  o??,  but  tliey  are  tlie  more  appropriate  forms  of  expressing 
the  first  three  senses,  there  being  other  modes  besides  these  of 
expressing  the  preposition  on.  These  modes  consist  in  the  use 
of  prepositions,  and  will  be  explained  under  that  head.  The 
choice  of  the  one  or  the  other  is,  however,  with  the  speaker. 
Grenerally,  the  inflection  is  employed  when  there  is  some  circum- 
stance or  condition  of  the  noun  either  concealed  or  not  fully  ap- 
parent. Thus,  Muzzinyigun-ing,  is  the  appropriate  term  for  "  In 
the  book,"  and  raay  also  be  used  to  signify  "  On  the  book."  But 
if  it  is  meant  only  to  signify  on  the  book,  something  visible  being 
referred  to,  the  preposition  ogidj  would  be  used,  that  word  indi- 
cating with  certainty  on^  and  never  in.  Wahjigun-ing  indicates 
with  clearness  "In  the  house;"  but  if  it  is  necessary  to  say  "  On 
the  house,"  and  it  be  meant  at  the  same  time  to  exclude  any  re- 
ference to  the  interior,  the  expression  would  be  changed  to  ogidj 
waliyegim. 

It  will  be  proper  further  to  remark  in  this  place,  in  the  way 
of  limitation,  that  there  is  also  a  separate  preposition  signifying 
in.  It  is  'pinj.  But  the  use  of  this  word  does  not,  in  all  cases, 
supersede  the  necessity  of  inflecting  the  noun.  Thus,  the  expres- 
sion pindigain^  is  literally  walk  in,  or  enter.  But  if  it  is  intended 
to  say,  ^'Walk  in  the  house,"  the  local,  and  not  the  simple  form 
of  house  must  be  used ;  and  the  expression  is,  Pindigain  ivaJcy^igun- 
ing,  "  Enter  in  the  house,"  the  verbal  form  which  this  preposition 
pinj  puts  on,  having  no  allusion  to  the  act  of  icalking^  but  merely 
implying  position. 

The  local  inflection,  which,  in  the  above  examples,  is  ing  and 
oong^  is  further  changed  to  alng  and  eeng^  as  the  ear  may  direct — 
changes  which  are  governed  chiefly  by  the  terminal  vowel  of  the 
noun.  Examples  will  best  supply  the  rule,  as  well  as  the  excep- 
tions to  it. 


SIMPLE 

rOEM. 

LOCAL  FOKM. 

a.  First  inflection  in 

aing. 

Ishkodai 

Fire 

Ishkod-aing 

In,  &c.  the  fire. 

Muskodai 

Pj-airie 

Muskod-aing 

In,  &c.  the  prairie. 

^lukkuddai 

Powder 

Miikkud-aing 

In,  &c.  the  powder. 

Pimmedai 

Grease 

Pimmid-aing 

In,  &c.  the  grease. 

APPENDIX. 

SIMPLE  FORM. 

LOCAL  FORM 

e.  Second  inflection  in  eeng 

* 

Seebi 

River 

Secb-ecng 

In,  &c. 

the  river. 

Neebi 

Water 

Neeb-eeng 

In,  &c. 

the  water. 

Miskwi 

Blood 

Miskw-eeng 

In,  &c. 

the  blood. 

Uuneeb 

Elm 

i. 

Unneeb-eeng 
Third  inflection  in  ing. 

In,  &c 

the  elm. 

Kou 

Snow 

K6n-ing 

In,  &c. 

the  snow. 

Min 

Berry 

Meen-ing 

In,  &c. 

the  berry. 

Cbimua 

Canoe 

Chimun-ing 

In,  &c. 

th?  canoe. 

Muzziny'egun 

Book 

Muzziuy^egun-ing 

In,  &G. 

the  book. 

0.  Fourth  inflection  in  oong. 

Azliibik 

Rock 

Azhibik-oong 

In,  &c. 

the  rock. 

Gizbig 

Sky 

Gizhig-oong 

In,  &c. 

the  sky. 

Kimmiwun 

Rain 

Kimmiwuu-oong 

In,  &c. 

the  rain. 

Akkik 

Kettle 

Akkik-oong 

In,  &c. 

the  kettle. 

473 


Throw  it  in  the  fire. 

1.  Puggidou  ishkod-aing. 
Go  into  the  prairie. 

2.  Muskodaing  izhan. 
He  is  in  the  elm. 

3.  Unnib-eeng  ia. 

It  is  on  the  water. 

4.  Nib-eeng  attai. 
Put  it  on  the  table. 

5.  Addopowin-ing  atton. 
Look  in  the  book. 

6.  Enubin  muzziny'igun-ing. 
You  stand  in  the  rain. 

7.  Kimmiwun-oong  ki  nibow. 
What  have  you  in  that  box  ? 

8.  Waigonain  aitaig  mukuk-oong? 
Put  it  in  the  kettle. 

9.  Akkik-oong  atton,  or  Podawain. 

My  bow  is  not  in  the  lodge;  neither  is  it  in  the  canoe,  nor  on  the  rock. 
10.  Kawinp«nc%  iasi  ni  mittigwab;  kawiuh  gyai  chiman-zwy;  kawin  gyai 
azhibik-ooK^. 

An  attentive  inspection  of  these  examples  will  show  that  the 
local  form  pertains  either  to  such  nouns  of  the  animate  class  as 
arc  in  their  nature  inanimate,  or  at  most  possessed  of  vegetable 


*  The  double  vowel  is  here  employed  to  indicate  the  long  sound  of  i,  as  i  in 
machine. 


474  APPENDIX. 

life.  And  here  another  conclusion  presses  upon  us ;  that  where 
these  local  terminations,  in  all  their  variety,  are  added  to  the 
names  of  animated  beings,  when  such  names  are  the  nominatives 
of  adjectives  or  adjective-nouns,  these  words  are  converted  into 
terms  of  qualification,  indicating  like^  resemhling^  equal.  Thus,  if 
we  wish  to  say  to  a  boy,  "  He  is  like  a  man,"  the  expression  is, 
Inin-ing  izzhindgozzi ;  or,  if  to  a  man,  "He  is  like  a  bear,"  Mulck- 
oong  izzhindgozzi;  or,  to  a  bear,  "  He  is  like  a  horse,  Pahaizhiko- 
gdzh-ing  izzhindgozzi.  In  all  these  expressions,  the  word  izzhi  is 
combined  with  the  pronominal  inflection  d  (or  no)  and  the  ani- 
mate termination  gozzi.  And  the  inflection  of  the  nominative  is 
merely  an  adjective  corresponding  with  izzhi — a  term  indicative 
of  the  general  qualities  of  persons  or  animated  beings.  Where  a 
comparison  is  instituted,  or  a  resemblance  pointed  out,  between 
inanimate  instead  of  animate  objects,  the  inflection  gozzi  is  changed 
to  gwud,  rendering  the  expression,  which  was,  in  the  animate 
form,  izzhindgozzi.,  in  the  inanimate  form  tzzAmagwud. 

There  is  another  variation  of  the  local  form  of  the  noun,  in 
addition  to  those  above  instanced,  indicative  of  locality  in  a  more 
general  sense.  It  is  formed  by  ong  or  nong — frequent  termina- 
tions in  geographical  names.  Thus,  from  Ojihwai,  Chippewa,  is 
formed  Ojibivainong,  "  Place  of  the  Chippewas."  From  Wamatti- 
gozhiumg,  Frenchmen,  is  formed  Wamittigozhinong,  "  Place  of 
Frenchmen."  From  Ishpatind,  Hill,  Ishpatinong,  "Place  of  the 
hill,"  &c.  The  termination  ing,  is  also  sometimes  employed  in 
this  more  general  sense,  as  in  the  following  names  of  places: — 

MoiiomonikaretV?^'.     In  the  place  of  wild  rice. 
Moninggwunikamn^.     In  the  place  of  sparrows. 
Ongwashagooshwi^.     In  the  place  of  the  fallen  tree,  &c. 

2.  The  diminutive  forms  of  the  noun  are  indicated  by  aw,  eas, 
OS,  and  aus,  as  the  final  vowel  of  the  word  may  require.  Thus, 
Ojihivai,  a  Chippewa,  becomes  Ojihw-ais,  a  little  Chippewa :  Inin'i, 
a  man,  inui-ees,  a  little  man:  Amik,  a  beaver,  amik-6s,  a  young 
beaver :  Ogimd,  a  chief,  ogim-ds,  a  little  chief,  or  a  chief  of  little 
authority.     Further  examples  may  be  added. 


APPENDIX. 

SIMPLE  FORM. 

DIMINUTIVE  FORM. 

— ais. 

A  woman 

Eekwa 

Eekwiiz-ais. 

A  partridge 

Tina 

Pin-ais. 

A  woodcock 

Muimai 

Maim-ais. 

An  island 

Minnis 

Minnis-ais. 

A  grape 

Shomin 

Shomin-ais. 

A  knife 

Mokoman 

— ees. 

Mokoman-ais. 

A  stone 

Ossin 

Ossin-ees. 

A  river 

Seebi 

Seeb-ees. 

A  pigeon 

Omimi 

Omim-ees. 

A  bison 

Pizhiki 

Pizhik-ees. 

A  potato 

Opin 

Opin-ees. 

A  bird 

Pinrdsi 

— OS. 

Pinaisli-ees. 

A  moose 

Moz 

Moz-6s. 

An  otter 

Nigik 

Nigik-6s. 

A  reindeer 

Addik 

Addik-6s. 

An  elk 

Mushkos 

Mushkos-os. 

A  liare 

Wabos 

Wub6s-6s. 

A  box 

Mukuk 

— aus. 

Mukuk-6s. 

A  bass 

Oga 

Og-as. 

A  medal 

Shonia 

Shoni-as. 

A  bowl 

Onagun 

Onag-ans. 

Abed 

Nibagun 

Nibiig-auiis. 

A  gun 

Pashkizzigun 

Pashkizzig-rms. 

A  house 

Wakyigun 

Wakyig-ans. 

475 


-    In  the  last  four  examples,  the  letter  n,  of  the  diminutive,  retains 
its  full  sound. 

The  use  of  diminutives  has  a  tendency  to  give  conciseness  to 
the  language.  As  far  as  they  can  be  employed  they  supersede 
the  use  of  adjectives,  or  prevent  the  repetition  of  them.  And 
they  enable  the  speaker  to  give  a  turn  to  the  expression,  which 
is  often  very  successfully  employed  in  producing  ridicule  or  con- 
tempt. When  applied  to  the  tribes  of  animals,  or  to  inorganic 
objects,  their  meaning,  however,  is,  very  nearly,  limited  to  an 
inferiority  in  size  or  age.  Thus,  in  the  above  examples,  pizhik- 
ees^  signifies  a  calf;  omim-ees^  a  young  pigeon;  and  ossin-ees^  a  peb- 
ble, &c.  But  inin-ees,  and  ogim-ds,  are  connected  with  the  idea  of 
mental  or  conventional  as  well  as  bodily  inferiority. 


476  APPENDIX. 

1.  I  saw  a  little  chief,  standing  upon  a  small  island,  with  an  inferior  medal  about 
his  neck. 

Ogimas  n'gi  wabuma  nibowid  minnisainsing  onabikowan  shoniasun. 

2.  Yamoyden  threw  at  a  young  pigeon. 
Ogi  pukkitaiwun  omimeesun  Yamoyden. 

3.  A  buflFalo  calf  stood  in  a  small  stream, 
Pizhikees  ki  nibowi  sibeesing. 

4.  The  little  man  fired  at  a  young  moose. 
Ininees  ogi  pashkizwan  mozosun. 

5.  Several  diminutive-looking  bass  were  lying  in  a  small  bowl,  upon  a  small 
table. 

Addopowinaising  attai  onfigans  abbiwad  ogasug. 

Some  of  these  sentences  afford  instances  of  the  use,  at  the  same 
time,  of  both  the  local  and  diminutive  inflections.  Thus,  the 
word  minnisamsmg,  signifies  literally,  "in  the  little  island;"  seebees 
ing,  "  in  the  little  stream ;"  addojioiuinais  ing,  "  on  the  small  table," 

8.  The  preceding  forms  are  not  the  only  ones  by  which  ad- 
jective qualities  are  conferred  upon  the  substantive.  The  syllable 
ish,  when  added  to  a  noun,  indicates  a  bad  or  dreaded  quality,  or 
conveys  the  idea  of  imperfection  or  decay.  The  sound  of  this 
inflection  is  sometimes  changed  to  eesJi,  oosh,  or  aush.  Thus,  Chi- 
mdn,  a  canoe,  becomes  Chimdnish,  a  bad  canoe  ;  Ekivai,  a  woman, 
EJcivaiwish^  a  bad  woman ;  nihi^  water,  becomes  niheesh,  turbid  or 
strong  water ;  mittig,  a  tree,  becomes  mittigoosh^  a  decayed  tree ; 
akhik^  a  kettle,  akicilcoosh,  a  worn-out  kettle.  By  a  further  change, 
loihid,  a  tooth,  becomes  tuihidCiah^  a  decayed  or  aching  tooth,  &;c. 
Throughout  these  changes  the  final  sound  of  sh  is  retained,  so 
that  this  sound  alone,  at  the  end  of  a  word,  is  indicative  of  a 
faulty  quality. 

In  a  language  in  which  the  expressions  bad-dog  and  faint-heart 
are  the  superlative  terms  of  reproach,  and  in  which  there  are  few 
words  to  indicate  the  modifications  between  positively  good  and 
positively  bad,  it  must  appear  evident  that  adjective  inflections 
of  this  kind  must  be  convenient,  and  sometimes  necessary  modes 
of  expression.  They  furnish  a  means  of  conveying  censure  and 
dislike,  which,  though  often  mild,  is  sometimes  severe.  Thus,  if 
one  person  has  had  occasion  to  refuse  the  offered  hand  of  another 
— for  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  Indians  are  a  hand-shak- 
ing people  as  well  as  the  Europeans — the  implacable  party  has  it 
at  his  option,  in  referring  to  the  circumstance,  to  use  the  adjective 
form  of  hand,  not  onindj\  but  om'ji/eesh,  which  would  be  deemed 


APPENDIX. 


477 


contemptuous  iu  a  higli  degree.  So,  also,  instead  of  oddivai  vnnini, 
a  trader,  or  man  wlio  sells,  the  word  may  be  changed  to  oddivai 
loinimwish,  implying  a  bad  or  dishonest  trader.  It  is  seldom  that 
a  more  pointed  or  positive  mode  of  expressing  personal  disap- 
probation or  dislike  is  required;  for,  generally  speaking,  more  is 
implied  by  these  modes  than  is  actually  expressed. 

The  following  examples  are  drawn  from  the  inorganic  as  well 
as  organic  creation,  embracing  the  two  classes  of  nouns,  that  the 
operation  of  these  forms  may  be  fully  perceived. 


SIMPLE  FORM. 

ADJECTIVE  FORM. 

— ish. 

A  bowl 

Onagun 

Onagun-ish. 

A  house 

Wakyigun 

Wakyigun-ish. 

A  pipe 

Opwagun 

Opwagun-ish. 

A  boy 

Kweewizais 

Kweewizais-ish. 

A  man 

Inini 

— eesh. 

Inini-ff'-ish. 

Water 

Neebi 

Neeb-ish. 

A  stone 

Ossin 

Ossin-eesh. 

A  potato 

Opin 

Oi)in-eesh. 

A  fly 

Ojee 

Oj-eesh. 

A  bow 

Mittigwab 

— oosh. 

Mittigwab-eesh 

An  otter 

Neegik 

Neegik-oosh. 

A  beaver 

Abmik 

Ahmik-oosh. 

A  reindeer 

Addik 

Addik-oosh. 

A  kettle 

Akkeek 

Akkek-oosb. 

An  axe 

Wagakwut 

— aush. 

Wagakwut-oosh, 

Afoot 

Ozid 

Ozid-ash. 

An  arm 

Onik 

Onik-ash. 

An  ear 

Otowug 

Otowug-ash. 

A  hoof 

Wunnussid 

Wunnussid-ash. 

A  rush  mat 

Appukwa 

Appukw-ash. 

These  forms  cannot  be  said,  strictly,  to  be  without  analogy  in 
the  English,  in  which  the  limited  number  of  words  terminating 
in  ish,  as  saltish,  blackish,  furnish  a  correspondence  in  sound  with 
the  first  adjective  form. 

It  may  subserve  the  purposes  of  generalization  to  add,  as  the 
result  of  the  foregoing  inquiries,  that  substantives  have  a  diminu- 


478  APPENDIX. 

tive  form,  made  in  aw,  ees,  6s,  or  as  ;  a  derogative  form,  made  in 
ish,  eesh^  oosh,  or  ash;  and  a  local  form,  made  in  aing,  eeng,  ing,  or 
oong.  By  a  principle  of  accretion,  ttie  second  or  third  may  be 
added  to  the  first  form,  and  the  third  to  the  second. 

EXAMPLE. 

Serpent,  s.  Kinai'bik. 

s.  diminutive. ons,  implying  Little  serpent. 

s.  derogative.  ■ ish,  "  Bad  serpent. 

s.  local.  ing,  "  In  (the)  serpent. 

s.  dim.  and  der. onsish,  "  Little  bad  serpent, 

s.  dim.  and  lo. onsing,  "  In  (the)  little  serpent. 

s.  dim.  der.  and  lo. onsishing,       "  In  (the)  little  bad  serpent. 

4.  More  attention  has,  perhaps,  been  bestowed  upon  these 
points  than  their  importance  demanded;  but,  in  giving  anything 
like  a  comprehensive  sketch  of  the  substantive,  they  could  not  be 
omitted ;  and,  if  mentioned  at  all,  it  became  necessary  to  pursue 
them  through  their  various  changes  and  limitations.  Another 
reason  has  presented  itself.  In  treating  of  an  unwritten  language, 
of  which  others  are  to  judge  chiefly  from  examples,  it  appeared 
desirable  that  the  positions  advanced  should  be  accompanied  by 
the  data  upon  which  they  respectively  rest — at  least,  by  so  much 
of  the  data  employed  as  to  enable  philologists  to  appreciate  the 
justice  or  detect  the  fallacy  of  our  conclusions.  To  the  few  who 
take  any  interest  in  the  subject  at  all,  minuteness  will  not  seem 
tedious,  and  the  examples  will  be  regarded  with  deep  interest. 

As  much  of  our  time  as  we  have  already  devoted  to  these  lesser 
points  of  inquiry,  it  will  be  necessary,  at  this  place,  to  point  out 
other  inflections  and  modifications  of  the  substantive,  to  clear  it 
from  obscurities,  that  we  may  go  into  the  discussion  of  the  other 
parts  of  speech  unincumbered. 

Of  these  remaining  forms,  none  is  more  interesting  than  that 
which  enables  the  speaker,  by  a  simple  inflection,  to  denote  that 
the  individual  named  has  ceased  to  exist.  This  delicate  mode  of 
conveying  melancholy  intelligence,  or  alluding  to  the  dead,  is 
effected  by  placing  the  object  in  the  past  tense. 

Aiekid-opun  aieko  Garrangula-bun. 
So  the  deceased  Garrangula  spoke. 

The  syllable  bun,  in  this  sentence,  added  to  the  noun,  and  t)pun 
added  to  the  verb,  place  both  in  the  past  tense.     And,  although 


APPENDIX. 


479 


the  death  of  the  Indian  orator  is  not  mentioned,  that  fact  would  be 
invariably  inferred. 

Names  which  do  not  terminate  in  a  vowel  sound,  require  a 
vowel  prefixed  to  the  tensal  inflection,  rendering  it  ohm  or  ehun. 
Inanimate  as  well  as  animate  nouns  take  these  inflections. 


PRESENT. 

Tecumseh, 

Tammany, 

Skenandoah, 

Nos  (my  father), 

Pontiac, 

Waub  Ojeeg, 

Tarhe, 

Mittig  (a  tree), 

Akkik  (a  kettle), 

Moz  (a  moose), 


PAST  FORM. 

Tecumsi-bun. 

Tamani-bun. 

Skenandoa-bun. 

Nos-ebun. 

Pontiac-ibun. 

Waub  Ojeeg-ibun. 

Tai'hi-bun. 

Mittig-obun. 

Akkik-obun. 

Moz-obon. 


By  prefixing  the  particle  Tah  to  these  words,  and  changing 
the  inflection  of  the  animate  nouns  to  iwi^  and  the  inanimates  to 
iioun,  they  are  rendered  future.  Thus,  Tah  Pontiac-iwi ;  Tah 
Mitiig-iwun,  &c. 

The  names  for  the  seasons  only  come  under  the  operation  of 
these  rules,  when  the  year  before  the  last,  or  the  year  after  the 
next,  is  referred  to.  The  last  and  the  ensuing  season  are  indicated 
as  follows : — 


Spring, 
Summer, 
Autumn, 
Winter, 


PRESENT. 

Seegwun, 
Neebin, 
Tahgwag' 
Peebon, 


LAST. 

Seegwun-oong, 
Neebin-oong, 
Tahgwiig-oong, 
Peebon-oong, 


NEXT. 

Segwung. 
Neebing. 
Taligwilgig. 
Peebong. 


XTMfiWJU,  i  ueuoii-ouiig 

I  spent  last  winter  in  hunting. 
Ning'i  nunda-wainjigai  peebonoong. 
I  shall  go  to  Detroit  next  spring. 
Ninjah  izba  Wawia''tunong  seegwung. 

5.  Sexual  Nouns. — The  mode  of  indicating  the  masculine  and 
feminine  having  been  omitted  in  the  preceding  Inquiry,  as  not 
being  essential  to  any  concordance  with  the  verb  or  adjective,  is, 
nevertheless,  connected  with  a  striking  peculiarity  of  the  lan- 
guage— the  exclusive  use  of  certain  words  by  one  or  the  other 
sex.  After  having  appeared  to  the  founders  of  the  language  a 
distinction  not  necessary  to  be  engrafted  in  the  syntax,  there  are 
yet  a  limited  number  of  words  to  which  the  idea  of  sex  so  strongly 


480  APPENDIX. 

attaches,  that  it  would  be  deemed  the  height  of  impropriety  in  a 
female  to  use  the  masculine,  and  in  a  male  to  use  the  feminine  ex- 
pressions. 

Of  this  nature  are  the  words  Neeji  and  Nindongiuai,  both  signi- 
fying my  friend,  but  the  former  is  appropriated  to  males  and  the 
latter  to  females.  A  Chippewa  cannot,  therefore,  say  to  a  female, 
my  friend;  nor  a  Chippewa  woman  to  a  male,  my  friend.  Such 
an  interchange  of  the  terms  would  imply  arrogance  or  indelicacy. 
Nearly  the  whole  of  their  interjections — and  they  are  numerous 
— are  also  thus  exclusively  appropriated ;  and  no  greater  breach 
of  propriety  in  speech  could  be  committed,  than  a  woman's  utter- 
ing the  masculine  exclamation  of  surprise,  Ti/df  or  a  man's  de- 
scending to  the  corresponding  female  interjection,  N^ydf 

The  word  Neenimoshai,  my  cousin,  on  the  contrary,  can  only 
be  applied,  like  husband  and  wife,  by  a  male  to  a  female,  or  a 
female  to  a  male.  If  a  male  wishes  to  express  this  relation  of  a 
male,  the  term  is  Neetowis ;  and  the  corresponding  female  term 
Neen  dongivooshai. 

The  terms  for  uncle  and  aunt  are  also  of  a  twofold  character, 
though  not  restricted  like  the  preceding  in  their  use.  Neemishomai, 
is  my  uncle  by  the  father's  side ;  Neezhishai^  my  uncle  by  the  mo- 
ther's side.  Neezigwoos^  is  my  paternal  aunt;  Neeivishcd,  my  ma- 
ternal aunt. 

There  are  also  exclusive  words  to  designate  elder  brother  and 
younger  brother;  but,  what  would  not  be  expected  after  the  fore- 
going examples,  they  are  indiscriminately  applied  to  younger 
brothers  and  sisters.  Neesgai,  is  my  elder  brother,  and  neemissai, 
my  elder  sister.  Neeshemai,  my  younger  brother  or  younger  sis- 
ter, and  may  be  applied  to  any  brother  or  sister  except  the  eldest. 

The  number  of  words  to  which  the  idea  of  sex  is  attached,  in 
the  usual  acceptation,  is  limited.  The  following  may  be  enu- 
merated. 

MASCULINE.  FEMININE. 

Inm''i,  A  man.  Ekwai'',  A  Tvoman. 

Kwee'wizais,  A  boy.  Ekwa'zais,  A  girl. 

Oskinabwai,  A  young  man.  Oskineegakwai,  A  young  woman. 

Akiwaizi,  An  old  man.  Miudimo^ed,  An  old  woman. 

Nosai,  My  father.  Nin  Gali,  My  mother. 

Ningwisis,  My  son.  Nin  danis,  My  daughter. 

Ni  ningwun,  My  son-in-law.  Nis  sim,  My  daughter-in-law. 


APPENDIX. 

^ 

MASCULINE. 

FKMININE. 

Ni  nubaim, 

My  husband. 

Nimindimoimish, 

My  wife. 

Nimieshomiss, 

My  graudfather. 

Nokomiss, 

IMy  grandmother 

Ogimii, 

A  chief. 

Ogemakwa, 

A  chicfcss. 

Addik, 

A  reindeer. 

Neetshani, 

A  doe. 

Annimoosb, 

A  dog. 

Kiskisshai, 

A  bitch. 

481 


The  sex  of  the  brute  creation  is  most  commonly  denoted  by 
prefixing  the  words  Icihai,  male,  and  Nuzhai^  female. 

6.  Reciprocal  Changes  of  the  Noun. — The  pronominal  particles 
with  which  verbs  as  well  as  substantives  are  generally  encum- 
bered, and  the  habit  of  using  them  in  particular  and  restricted 
senses,  leave  but  little  occasion  for  the  employment  of  either  the 
present  or  past  infinitive.  Most  verbs  are  transitives.  A  Chip- 
pewa does  not  say  I  love,  without  indicating,  by  an  inflection  of 
the  verb,  the  object  beloved:  and  thus  the  expression  is  con- 
stantly, I  love  him,  or  her,  &c.  ISTeither  does  the  infinitive  ap- 
pear to  be  generally  the  ultimate  form  of  the  verb. 

In  changing  their  nouns  into  verbs,  it  will  not,  therefore,  be 
expected  that  the  change  should  uniformly  result  in  the  infinitive, 
for  which  there  is  so  little  use,  but  in  such  of  the  personal  forms 
of  the  various  moods  as  circumstances  may  require.  Most  com- 
monly, the  third  person  singular  of  the  indicative,  and  the  second 
.person  singular  of  the  imperative,  are  the  simplest  aspects  under 
which  the  verb  appears ;  and  hence  these  forms  have  been  some- 
times mistaken  for,  and  reported  as  the  present  infinitive.  There 
are  some  instances  in  which  the  infinitive  is  employed.  Thus, 
although  an  Indian  cannot  say  I  love,  thou  lovest,  &c.,  without 
employing  the  objective  forms  of  the  verb  to  love,  yet  he  can  say 
I  laugh,  I  cry,  &c. ;  expressions  in  which,  the  action  being  con- 
fined to  the  speaker  himself,  there  is  no  transition  demanded. 
And  in  all  similar  instances  the  present  infinitive,  with  the  pro- 
per pronoun  prefixed,  is  employed. 

There  are  several  modes  of  transforming  a  substantive  into  a 
verb.  The  following  examples  will  supply  the  rules,  so  far  as 
known,  which  govern  these  changes: — 

INDICATIVE.  IMPERATIVK. 

Chiman,  a  cauoe.  Chimai,  he  paddles.  Chimain,  paddle  thou. 

Pashkizzigun,  a  gun.  Pashkizzigai,  he  fires.  Pashkizzigain,  fire  thou. 

Jeesidyigun,  a  broom.  Jeesidyigai,  he  sweeps.  Jeesidyigain,  sweep  thou. 

81 


482 


APPENDIX. 


Weedjeeagun,  a  helper. 
Ojibwiii,  a  Chippewa. 


INDICATIVE. 

Weedokagai,  he  helps. 
Ojibwamoo,  he  speaks 
Chippewa. 


IMPERATITE. 

Weedjeei-wain,  help  thon. 
Ojibwamoon,  speak  thou 
Chippewa. 


Another  class  of  nouns  is  converted  into  tlie  first  person,  in- 
dicative, of  a  pseudo -declarative  verb,  in  the  following  manner: — 


Monido, 

A  spirit. 

Ne  Monidow, 

I  (am)  a  spirit. 

Wassaia, 

Light. 

Ne  Wassaiaw, 

I  (am)  light. 

Ishkodai, 

Fire. 

Nin  Dishkodaiw, 

I  (am)  fire. 

Weendigo, 

A  monster. 

Ni  Weendigow, 

I  (am)  a  monster. 

Addik, 

A  deer. 

Nin  Daddikoow, 

I  (am)  a  deer. 

Wakyigun, 

A  house. 

Ni  Wakyiguniw, 

I  (am)  a  house. 

Pinggwi, 

Dust,  ashes. 

Nim  Binggwiw, 

I  (am)  dust,  &c. 

The  word  am,  included  in  parenthesis,  is  not  in  the  original, 
unless  we  may  suppose  the  terminals  oiv,  mv,  iiv,  ooio,  to  be  de- 
rivatives from  law.  These  changes  are  reciprocated  by  the  verb, 
which,  as  often  as  occasion  requires,  is  made  to  put  on  a  sub- 
stantive form.  The  particle"  t'jm,  added  to  the  indicative  of  the 
verb,  converts  it  into  a  substantive.     Thus — 


Keegido, 

He  speaks. 

Keegidowin, 

Speech. 

Pashkizzigai, 

He  fires. 

Pashkizzigaiwin, 

Ammunition. 

Agindasoo, 

He  counts. 

Agindasoowin, 

Numbers. 

Wahyiazhinggai, 

He  cheats. 

Wahyiazhinggai  win 

,      Fraud. 

Minuikwai, 

He  drinks. 

Minuikwaiwin, 

Drink. 

Kubbashi, 

He  encamps. 

Kubbaishiwin, 

An  encampment. 

Meegazoo, 

He  fights. 

Meegazoowin, 

A  fight. 

Ojeengai, 

He  kisses. 

Ojeondiwin, 

A  kiss. 

Annoki, 

He  works. 

Annokiwta, 

Work. 

Papi, 

He  laughs. 

Papiwin, 

Laughter. 

Pimadizzi, 

He  lives. 

Pimadoiziwin, 

Life. 

Onwaibi, 

He  rests. 

Onwaibiwin, 

Rest. 

Annamia, 

He  prays. 

Annamiawin, 

Prayer. 

Niba, 

He  sleeps. 

Nibawin, 

Sleep. 

Odawai, 

He  trades. 

Odawaiwin, 

Trade. 

Adjectives 

are  likewise  thus  turned  into  substantives: — 

Keezhaiwadizzi, 

He  generous. 

Keezhaiwadizziwin, 

Generosity. 

Minwaindum, 

He  happy. 

Minwaindumowin, 

Happiness. 

Keezhaizeawizzi, 

He  industrious. 

Keezhaizhawizziwin, 

Industry. 

Kittimagizzi, 

He  poor. 

Kittimagizziwin, 

Poverty, 

Aukkoossi, 

He  sick. 

Aukkoossiwin, 

Sickness. 

Kittimishki, 

He  lazy. 

Kittimishkiwin, 

Laziness. 

Nishkiidizzi, 

He  angry. 

Nishkadizziwin, 

Anger. 

Baikadizzi, 

She  chaste. 

Baikadizzi  win, 

Chastity. 

APPENDIX.  483 

In  order  to  place  the  substantives  tluis  formed  in  the  tliird  per- 
son, corresponding  with  the  indicative  from  which  they  were 
changed,  it  is  necessary  only  to  prefix  the  proper  pronoun.  Thus, 
Ogeezhaiivddizziwm,  his  generosity,  &c. 

7.  Compound  Sulistantivcs. — The  preceding  examples  have  been 
given  promiscuously  from  the  various  classes  of  words,  primitive 
and  derivative,  simple  and  compound.  Some  of  these  words  ex- 
press but  a  single  idea,  as,  us,  father — gali^  mother — moz^  a  moose 
— kdg^  a  porcupine — racing^  a  loon — and  appear  to  be  incapable  of 
further  division.  All  such  words  may  be  considered  as  primitives, 
although  some  of  them  may  be  contractions  of  dissyllabic  words. 
There  are  also  a  number  of  dissyllables,  and  possibly  some  tri- 
syllables, which,  in  the  present  state  of  our  analytical  knowledge 
of  the  language,  may  be  deemed  both  simple  and  primitive.  Such 
are  neehi.  water ;  ossin^  a  stone  ;  geezis,  the  sun ;  nodin^  wind.  But 
it  may  be  premised,  as  a  principle  which  our  investigations  have 
rendered  probable,  that  all  polysyllabic  words,  all  words  of  three 
sjdlables,  so  far  as  examined,  and  most  words  of  two  syllables,  are 
compounds. 

The  application  of  a  syntax,  formed  with  a  view  to  facilitate 
the  rapid  conveyance  of  ideas  by  consolidation,  may,  it  is  pre- 
sumable, have  early  led  to  the  coalescence  of  words,  by  which  all 
the  relations  of  object  and  action,  time  and  person,  were  expressed. 
And  in  a  language  which  is  only  spoken,  and  not  written,  the 
primitives  would  soon  become  obscured  and  lost  in  the  multiform 
appendages  of  time  and  person,  and  the  recondite  connection  of 
actor  and  object.  And  this  process  of  amalgamation  would  be  a 
progressive  one.  The  terms  that  sufficed  in  the  condition  of  the 
simplest  state  of  nature,  or  in  a  given  latitude,  would  vary  with 
their  varying  habits,  institutions,  and  migrations.  The  introduc- 
tion of  new  objects  and  new  ideas  would  require  the  invention  of 
new  words,  or  what  is  much  more  probable,  existing  terms  would 
be  modified  or  compounded  to  suit  the  occasion.  No  one  who 
has  paid  much  attention  to  the  subject,  can  have  escaped  noticing 
a  confirmation  of  this  opinion,  in  the  extreme  readiness  of  our 
western  Indians  to  bestow,  on  the  instant,  names,  and  approjDriate 
names — to  any  new  object  presented  to  them.  A  readiness  not 
attributable  to  their  having  at  command  a  stock  of  generic  poly- 
syllables— for  these  it  would  be  very  awkward  to  wield — but,  as 


48-1  APPENDIX. 

appears  more  probable,  to  the  powers  of  the  syntax,  which  permits 
the  resolution  of  new  compounds  from  existing  roots,  and  often 
concentrates,  as  remarked  in  another  place,  the  entire  sense  of  the 
parent  words,  upon  a  single  syllable,  and  sometimes  upon  a  single 
letter. 

Thus  it  is  evident  that  the  Chippewas  possessed  names  for  a 
living  tree,  mittig,  and  a  string,  aidh^  before  they  named  the  bow 
mittigwdb — the  latter  being  compounded  under  one  of  the  simplest 
rules  from  the  two  former.  It  is  further  manifest  that  they  had 
named  earth  ahki^  and  (any  solid,  stony,  or  metallic  mass)  dbik^ 
before  they  bestowed  an  appellation  upon  the  kettle,  akkeek^  or 
akkik^  the  latter  being  derivatives  from  the  former.  lu  process 
of  time  these  compounds  became  the  bases  of  other  compounds, 
and  thus  the  language  became  loaded  with  double,  and  triple,  and 
quadruple  compounds,  concrete  in  their  meaning  and  formal  in 
their  utterance. 

When  the  introduction  of  metals  took  place,  it  became  neces- 
sary to  distinguish  the  clay  from  the  iron  pot,  and  the  iron  from 
the  copper  kettle.  The  original  compound,  akkeek^  retained  its 
first  meaning,  admitting  the  adjective  noun  piwdhik  (itself  a  com- 
pound) iron,  when  applied  to  a  vessel  of  that  kindi^piwdhih  akkeek^ 
iron  kettle.  But  a  new  combination  took  place  to  designate  the 
copper  kettle,  miskwdkeek.  red  metal  kettle;  and  another  expression 
to  denote  the  brass  kettle,  ozaicdbik  akkeek,  yellow  metal  kettle. 
The  former  is  made  up  from  iniskowdhik^  copper  (literally  red- 
tnetal — from  miskicd^  red,  and  dhik^  the  generic  above  mentioned), 
and  akkeek^  kettle.  Ozaivdbik,  brass,  is  from  ozaiod,  yellow,  and 
the  generic  dhek — the  term  akkeek  being  added  in  its  separate 
form.  It  may,  however,  be  used  in  its  connected  form  of  vcukkeek^ 
making  the  compound  expression  ozawdhik  tvukkeek. 

In  naming  the  horse  ixdhdizhik6gaz]u.i  i.  e.  the  animal  with  solid 
koofs,,  they  have  seized  upon  the  feature  which  most  strikingly 
distinguished  the  horse  from  the  cleft-footed  animals,  which  were 
the  only  species  known  to  them  at  the  period  of  the  discovery. 
And  ihe  word  itself  affords  an  example,  at  once,  both  of  their 
powers  of  concentration,  and  brief,  yet  accurate  description,  which 
it  may  be  worth  while  to  analyze.  Paizhih  is  one,  and  is  also 
used  as  the  indefinite  article — the  only  article  the  language  pos- 
sesses.    This  Avord  is  further  used  in  an  adjective  sense,  figura- 


APPENDIX.  485 

lively  indicating,  united,  solid,  undivided.  And  it  acquires  a 
plural  signification  by  doubling,  or  repeating  the  first  syllable,  with 
a  slight  variation  of  the  second.  Thus,  Pai-haizhik  denotes  not 
o?ze,  or  an^  but  several ;  and  when  thus  used  in  the  context,  renders 
the  noun  governed  plural.  Osluzh  is  the  nail,  claw,  or  horny 
part  of  the  foot  of  beasts,  and  supplies  the  first  substantive  mem- 
ber of  the  compound  gauzJi.  The  final  vowel  is  from  aJauaisi,  a 
beast;  and  the  marked  o,  an  inseparable  connective,  the  office  of 
which  is  to  make  the  two  members  coalesce,  and  harmonize.  The 
expression  thus  formed  becomes  a  substantive,  specific  in  its  ap- 
plication. It  may  be  rendered  plural  like  the  primitive  nouns, 
may  be  converted  into  a  verb,  has  its  diminutive,  derogative,  and 
local  form,  and,  in  short,  is  subject  to  all  the  modifications  of  other 
substantives. 

Most  of  the  modern  nouns  are  of  this  complex  character.  And 
they  appear  to  have  been  invented  to  designate  objects,  many  of 
which  were  necessarily  unknown  to  the  Indians  in  the  primitive 
ages  of  their  existence.  Others,  like  their  names  for  a  copper- 
kettle  and  a  horse,  above  mentioned,  can  date  their  origin  further 
back  than  the  period  of  the  discovery.  Of  this  number  of  nascent 
words,  are  most  of  their  names  for  those  distilled  or  artificial 
liquors,  for  which  they  are  indebted  to  Europeans.  Their  name 
for  water,  neehi,  for  the  fat  of  animals,  iveenin,  for  oil  or  grease, 
pimmidai^  for  broth,  ndhdb,  and  for  blood,  mislavi^  belong  to  a 
very  remote  era,  although  all  but  the  first  appear  to  be  com- 
pounds. Their  names  for  the  tinctures  or  extracts  derived  from 
the  forest,  and  used  as  dyes,  or  medicines,  or  merely  as  agreeable 
drinks,  are  mostly  founded  upon  the  basis  of  the  word  dbo,  a 
liquid,  although  this  word  is  never  used  alone.     Thus — 

From  Shomin,  a  grape,  tibo,  a  liquor. 
From  Islikodiii,  fire,  &c. 
From  Mishimin,  an  apple,  &c. 
From  Totosh,  the  female  breast,  &c. 
From  Slieewun,  sour,  &c. 
From  Annibeesliun,  leaves,  &c. 
From  Ozhibiegai,  he  writes,  &c. 

In  like  manner  their  names  for  the  various  implements  and 
utensils  of  civilized  life,  are  based  upo^  the  word  Jeegtm^  one 
of  those  primitives,  which,  although  never  disjunctively  used, 
denotes,  in  its  modified  forms,  the  various  senses  implied  by  our 


Shomin-abo, 

Wine, 

Ishkodai-wabo, 

Spirits, 

Mishimin-tibo, 

Cider, 

Totosh-abo, 

Milk, 

Sheew-tibo, 

Vinegar, 

Annibeesh-tibo, 

^ 

Ozhibicgun-aubo, 

486  APPENDIX. 

words  instrument,  contrivance,  machine,  &c.  And  by  prefixing 
to  tliis  generic  a  substantive,  verb,  or  adjective,  or  parts  of  one 
or  each,  an  entire  new  class  of  words  is  formed.  In  these  com- 
binations, the  vowels  e  and  o  are  sometimes  used  as  connectives. 

Keeshkeebo-jeegun,      A  saw,  From  Keeshkeezhun,  v.  a.  to  cut. 

Seeseebo-jeegun,  A  file,  From  Seesee,  to  rub  off,  &c. 

Wassakoonen-jeegun,    A  candle,  From  Wassakooda,  bright,  biskoona,  flame, 

&c. 
Beeseebo-jeegun,  A  cofFee-mill,  From  Beesa,  fine  grains,  &c. 

Minnikwad-jeegun,       A  drinking-vessel,  From  Minnekwai,  he  drinks,  &c. 
Tashkeebod-jeegun,      A  saw-mill,  From  Taushka,  to  split,  &c. 

Mudwrdabeed-jeegun,    A  violin,  From  Mudwawai,  sound,  aiab,  a  string, 

&c. 

Sometimes  this  termination  is  shortened  into  gun^  as  in  the  fol- 
lowing instances : — 

Ona-gun,  A  dish. 

Tikkina-gun,  A  cradle. 

Neeba-gun,  A  bed. 

Puddukkyi-gun,  A  fork. 

Puggimma-gun,  A  war-club. 

Opwa-gun,  A  pipe. 

Wassaitshie-gun,  A  window. 

Wakkyi-gun,  A  house. 

Podahwa-gun,  A  fire-place. 

Sheema-gun,  A  lance. 

Another  class  of  derivatives  is  formed  from  wydn,  indicating, 
generally,  an  undressed  skin.     Thus — 

Muk-wyan,  A  bear  skin.  From  Mukwah,  a  bear,  and  M'yaun,  a  skin. 

Wazhusk-wyan,  A  muskrat  skin,        From  Wazhusk,  a  muskrat,  &c. 

Wabos-wyan,  A  rabbit  skin,  From  Wabos,  a  rabbit,  &c. 

Neegik-wyan,  An  otter  skin.  From  Neegih,  an  otter,  &c. 

Ojeegi-wyan,  A  fisher  skin,  From  Ojeeg,  a  fisher,  &c. 

Wabizhais-ewyan,  a  martin  skin,  from  wabizhais,  a  martin,  &c. 

Wdbiwyari,  a  blanket,  and  huhbuggiwyan,  a  shirt,  are  also  formed 
from  this  root.  As  the  termination  ivydn,  is  chiefly  restricted  to 
undressed  skins,  or  peltries,  that  of  ivaigin  is,  in  like  manner, 
generally  applied  to  dressed  skins  or  to  cloths.     Thus — 

Monido-waigin,  Blue  cloth,  strouds,  From  Monido,  spirits,  &c. 

!Misk-waigin,  Red  cloth.  From  Miskwa,  red,  &c. 

Nonda-waigin,  Scarlet. 

Peezhiki-waigin,  A  buffalo  robe.  From  Peezhiki,  a  buffalo,  &c. 

Addik-waigin,  A  cariboo  skin.  From  Addik,  a  cariboo,  &c. 

Ozhauwushk-waigin,  Green  cloth.  From  Ozhawushkwa,  green. 


APPENDIX. 


487 


An  interesting  class  of  substantives  is  derived  from  the  third 
person  singular  of  the  present  indicative  of  the  verb,  by  changing 
the  vowel  sound  of  the  first  syllable,  and  adding  the  letter  d  to 
that  of  the  last,  making  the  terminations  in  aid,  dd,  eed,  id,  ood. 
ThuSj  Pimmoossd,  he  walks,  becomes  pdmrnoossCid,  a  walker. 


Munnissai,  lie  chops. 

Ozhibeigai,  He  -writes. 

Nundowainjeegai,    lie  hunts. 


aid. 

Mrmissaid,  A  chopper. 

Wazhibeigaid,  A  'writer. 

Nandowainjeegaid,  A  hunter. 


a. 


Neeba, 

He  sleeps. 

Nab  ad, 

A  sleeper. 

Kwabahwa, 

He  fishes  (-with 

scoop  Kwyabahwad, 

A  fisher  (with  scoop 

net). 

net). 

Puggidowa, 

He  fishes  (with  £ 

seine).  Pagidowad, 

eed. 

A  fisher  (with  seine). 

Annokee, 

He  works. 

Anokecd, 

A  worker. 

Jeessakea, 

He  juggles. 

Jossakeed, 

A  juggler. 

Munr.igobee, 

He  pulls  bark. 

Mainigobeed, 
id. 

A  bark  puller. 

Neemi, 

He  dances. 

Namid, 

A  dancer. 

Weesinni, 

He  eats. 

Wassinid, 

An  eater. 

Pimadizzi, 

He  lives. 

Paimaudizzid, 

ood. 

A  living  being. 

Nugamoo, 

He  sings. 

Naigumood, 

A  singer. 

Keegido, 

He  speaks. 

Kagidood, 

A  speaker. 

Keewonimoo, 

He  lies. 

Kawunimood, 

A  liar. 

This  class  of  words  is  rendered  plural  in  ig — a  termination, 
which,  after  d  final  in  the  singular,  has  a  soft  pronunciation,  as 
if  written  ^jV/,     Thus,  Ndiaid,  a  dancer,  ndmidjig,  dancers. 

The  derogative  form  is  given  to  these  generic  substantives  by 
introducing  ish,  or  simply  sA,  in  place  of  the  J,  and  changing  the 
latter  to  hid,  making  the  terminations  in  ai,  aishhid,  in  a,  dslikid, 
in  e,  eeshkid,  in  i,  ishkid,  and  in  oo,  ooshkid.  Thus,  naindowainjeeg- 
aid,  a  hunter,  is  changed  to  naindoivainjeegaishkid,  a  bad  or  unpro- 
fitable hunter.  NaiMd,  a  sleeper,  is  changed  to  naibdshkid,  a 
sluggard.     Jossakeed,  a  juggler,  to  jossakeeshkid,  a  vicious  juggler. 


488  APPENDIX. 

Wdsiimid^  an  eater,  to  wdssinishkid,  a  gormandizer.  Kdgi'dood,  a 
speaker,  Mgidooshkid,  a  babbler.  And  in  these  cases  the  plural  is 
added  to  the  last  educed  form,  making  Mgidooshkidjig,  babblers, 
&c. 

The  word  nittd,  on  the  contrary,  prefixed  to  those  expressions, 
renders  them  complimentary.  For  instance,  m'ttd  naigumood,  is  a 
fine  singer,  nittd  kdgidood,  a  ready  speaker,  &c. 

Flexible  as  the  substantive  has  been  shown  to  be,  there  are 
other  forms  of  combination  that  have  not  been  adverted  to — 
forms,  by  which  it  is  made  to  coalesce  with  the  verb,  the  adjective, 
and  the  preposition,  producing  a  numerous  class  of  compound 
expressions.  But  it  is  deemed  most  proper  to  defer  the  discus- 
sion of  these  forms  to  their  several  appropriate  heads. 

Enough  has  been  exhibited  to  demonstrate  its  prominent  gram- 
matical rules.  It  is  not  only  apparent  that  the  substantive  pos- 
sesses number  and  gender,  but  it  also  undergoes  peculiar  modifi- 
cations to  express  locality  and  diminution,  to  denote  adjective 
qualities  and  to  indicate  tense.  It  exhibits  some  curious  traits 
connected  with  the  mode  of  denoting  the  masculine  and  feminine. 
It  is  modified  to  express  person  and  to  distinguish,  living  from 
inanimate  masses.  It  is  rendered  possessive  by  a  peculiar  inflec- 
tion, and  provides  particles,  under  the  shape  either  of  prefixes  or 
suffixes,  separable  or  inseparable,  by  which  the  actor  is  dis- 
tinguished from  the  object — and  all  this,  without  changing  its 
proper  substantive  character,  without  putting  on  the  aspect  of  a 
pseudo  adjective,  or  a  pseudo  verb.  Its  changes  to  produce  com- 
pounds are,  however,  its  most  interesting,  its  most  characteristic 
trait.  Syllable  is  heaped  upon  syllable,  word  upon  word,  and 
derivative  upon  derivative,  until  its  vocabulary  is  crowded  with 
long  and  pompous  phrases,  most  formidable  to  the  eye. 

So  completely  transpositive  do  the  words  appear,  that  like  chess- 
men on  a  board,  their  elementary  syllables  can  be  changed  at  the 
will  of  the  player,  to  form  new  combinations  to  meet  new  con- 
tingencies, so  long  as  they  are  changed  in  accordance  with  certain 
general  principles  and  conventional  rules ;  in  the  application  of 
which,  however,  much  depends  upon  the  will  or  the  skill  of  the 
player.  What  is  most  surprising,  all  these  changes  and  combina- 
tions, all  these  qualifications  of  the  object,  and  distinctions  of  the 
person,  the  time,  and  the  place,  do  not  supersede  the  use  of  ad- 


APPENDIX.  '^    489 

jectives,  and  pronouns,  and  verbs,  and  other  parts  of  speecli 
woven  into  the  texture  of  the  noun,  in  their  elementary  and  con- 
junctive forms. 


III. 

Principles  Governing  the  Use  of  the  Odjihiva  Koun- Adjective, 

Inquiry  3. 


Observations  on  the  adjective — Its  distinction  into  two  classes  denoted  by  the  pre- 
sence or  absence  of  vitality — Examples  of  the  animates  and  inanimates — ^lode  of 
their  conversion  into  substantives — How  pronouns  are  applied  to  these  derivatives, 
and  the  manner  of  forming  compound  terms  from  adjective  bases  to  describe  the 
various  natural  phenomena — The  application  of  these  principles  in  common  con- 
versation, and  in  the  description  of  natural  and  artificial  objects — Adjectives 
always  preserve  the  distinction  of  number — Numerals — Arithmetical  capacity  of 
tlie  language — The  unit  exists  in  duplicate. 

1.  It  has  been  remarked  that  the  distinction  of  words  into 
animates  and  inanimates,  is  a  principle  intimately  interwoven 
throughout  the  structure  of  the  language.  It  is,  in  fact,  so  deeply 
imprinted  upon  its  grammatical  forms,  and  is  so  perpetually  re- 
curring, that  it  may  be  looked  upon,  not  only  as  forming  a  strik- 
ing peculiarity  of  the  language,  but  as  constituting  the  fundamental 
principle  of  its  structure,  from  which  all  other  rules  have  derived 
their  limits,  and  to  which  they  have  been  made  to  conform.  No 
class  of  words  appears  to  have  escaped  its  impress.  Whatever 
concords  other  laws  impose,  they  all  agree,  and  are  made  sub- 
servient in  the  establishment  of  this. 

It  might  appear  to  be  a  useless  distinction  in  the  adjective, 
when  the  substantive  is  thus  marked ;  but  it  will  be  recollected 
that  it  is  in  the  plural  of  the  substantive  only  that  the  distinction 
is  marked;  and  we  shall  presently  have  occasion  to  show  that 
redundancy  of  forms  is,  to  considerable  extent,  obviated  in 
practice. 

For  the  origin  of  the  principle  itself,  we  need  look  only  to 
nature,  which  endows  animate  bodies  with  animate  j^roperties 
and  qualities,  and  vice  versa.  But  it  is  due  to  the  tribes  who  speak 
this  language,  to  have  invented  one  set  of  adjective  symbols  to 
express  the  ideas  peculiarly  appropriate  to  the  former,  and  another 


490 


APPENDIX. 


set  applicable  exclusively  to  the  latter ;  and  to  have  given  the 
words  good  and  bad,  black  and  white,  great  and  small,  handsome 
and  ugly,  such  modifications  as  are  practically  competent  to  in- 
dicate the  general  nature  of  the  objects  referred  to,  whether  pro- 
vided with,  or  destitute  of,  the  vital  principle.  And  not  only  so, 
but,  by  the  figurative  use  of  these  forms,  to  exalt  inanimate 
masses  into  the  class  of  living  beings,  or  to  strip  the  latter  of  its 
properties  of  life — a  principle  of  much  imjDortance  to  their  public 
speakers. 

This  distinction  is  shown  in  the  following  examples,  in  which 
it  will  be  observed  that  the  inflection  izzi  generally  denotes  the 
personal,  and  aw,  wn,  or  luud^  the  impersonal  forms. 


ADJ.   INANIMATE. 

ADJ.  ANIMATE. 

Bad, 

Monaudud, 

Monaudizzi. 

Ugly, 

Gushkoonaug-mid, 

Gushkoonaugoozzi. 

Beautiful, 

Bishegaindaugwud, 

Bisheguindaugoozi 

Strong, 

SOngun, 

Songizzi. 

Soft, 

Nokun, 

Ndkizzi. 

Hard, 

JIushkowau, 

Mushkowizzi. 

Smooth, 

Shoiskwau, 

Shoiskoozzi. 

Black, 

Mukkuddawau, 

Mukkuddiiwizzi. 

White, 

Waubishkau, 

Waubishkizzi. 

Yello-w, 

Ozahwau, 

Ozahwizzi. 

Red, 

Miskwau, 

I\Iiskwizzi. 

Blue, 

Ozhahwushkwau, 

Ozhahwushkwizzi. 

Sour, 

Sheewun, 

Sheewizzi. 

Sweet, 

Weeshkcibun, 

Weeshkobizzi. 

Light, 

Naugun, 

Naungizzi. 

It  is  not,  however,  in  all  cases,  by  mere  modifications  of  the 
adjective  that  these  distinctions  are  expressed.  Words  totally 
dificrent  in  sound,  and  evidently  derived  from  radically  different 
roots,  are,  in  some  few  instances,  employed ;  as  in  the  following 
examples : — 


ADJ.  INANIMATE. 

ADJ.  ANIMATE, 

Good, 

Onisheshin, 

Minno. 

Bad, 

Monaudud, 

Mudjee. 

Large, 

Mitshau, 

Mindiddo. 

Small, 

Pungee, 

Uggaushe. 

Old, 

Geekau, 

Gitizzi. 

It  may  be  remarked  of  these  forms,  that,  although  the  imper- 
sonal will,  in  some  instances,  take  the  personal  inflections,  the 


APPENDIX.  491 

rule  is  not  reciprocated,  and  minno^  and  mmdiddo,  and  gilizzi]  and 
all  words  similarly  situated,  remain  unchangeably  animates.  The 
word  imngee  is  limited  to  the  expression  of  quantity,  and  its  cor- 
respondent, uggaushi,  to  size  or  quality.  Kishedd  (hot)  is  restricted 
to  the  heat  of  a  fire ;  heezliautd^  to  the  heat  of  the  sun.  There  is 
still  a  third  term  to  indicate  the  natural  heat  of  the  body ;  kizzizoo. 
Mitshau  (large)  is  generally  applied  to  countries,  lakes,  rivers,  &c.; 
mmdiddo,  to  the  body;  and  gitshee,  indiscriminately.  Omsh/'shin, 
and  its  correspondent,  onishishshd,  signify  handsome  or  fair,  as 
well  as  good.  Kioonaudy,  a.  a.,  and  hconaudyeivun,  a.  i.,  mean, 
strictly,  handsome,  and  imply  nothing  further.  Minno  is  the  ap- 
propriate personal  form  for  good.  Mudjee  and  monaudud  may 
reciprocally  change  genders,  the  first  by  the  addition  of  tee,  and 
the  second  by  altering  ud  to  izzi. 

Distinctions  of  this  kind  are  of  considerable  importance  in  a 
practical  point  of  view,  and  their  observance  or  neglect  is  noticed 
with  scrupulous  exactness  by  the  Indians.  The  want  of  inani- 
mate forms  to  such  words  as  happy,  sorrowful,  brave,  sick,  &c., 
creates  no  confusion,  as  inanimate  nouns  cannot,  strictly  speak- 
ing, take  upon  themselves  such  qualities ;  and  when  they  do — as 
they  sometimes  do — by  one  of  those  extravagant  figures  of  speech 
which  are  used  in  their  tales  of  transformations,  the  animate  form 
answers  all  purposes ;  for  in  these  tales  the  whole  material  crea- 
tion may  be  clothed  with  animation.  The  rule,  as  exhibited  in 
practice,  is  limited,  with  sufficient  accuracy,  to  the  boundaries 
prescribed  by  nature. 

To  avoid  a  repetition  of  forms,  were  the  noun  and  the  adjective 
both  to  be  employed  in  their  usual  relation,  the  latter  is  endowed 
with  a  pronominal  or  substantive  inflection ;  and  the  use  of  the 
noun  in  its  separate  form  is  thus  wholly  superseded.  Thus,  om- 
shishin,  a.  i.,  and  onisMshsha,  a.  a.,  become  ivdnisJiisldng,  "  That 
which  is  good  or  fair,"  and  ivdnishishid,  "  He  who  is  good  or  fair." 
The  following  examples  will  exhibit  this  rule  under  each  of  its 
forms : — 

COMPOUND  OR  NOUN-ADJECTIVE  ANIMATE. 

Black,  Mukkuddawizzi,  Makuddiiwizzid. 

"White,  Waubislikizzi,  Wyaubishkizzid. 

Yellow,  Ozahwizzi,  Wlizauwizzid. 

Pied,  Miskwizzi,  Maskoozzid. 

I  Strong,  Songizzi,  Swongizzid. 


492 


APPENDIX. 

NOUN-ADJECTIVE  INANIMATI 

Black, 

Mukkuddiiwau, 

Makuddilwaug. 

White, 

Waubishkau, 

Wyaubishkaug. 

Yellow, 

Ozaliwau, 

Wiizhauwaug. 

Red, 

Miskwau, 

Maiskwaug. 

The  animate  forms,  in  these  examples,  will  be  recognized  as 
exhibiting  a  further  extension  of  the  rule,  mentioned  in  the  pre- 
ceding Inquiry,  by  which  substantives  are  formed  from  the  in- 
dicative of  the  verb  by  a  permutation  of  the  vowels ;  and  these 
forms  are  likewise  rendered  plural  in  the  manner  there  mentioned. 
They  also  undergo  changes  to  indicate  the  various  persons.  For 
instance,  onisliisha  is  thus  declined  to  mark  the  person : — 

Wanishish-eyaun,  I  (am)  good  or  fair. 

Wauishisli-eyun,  Thou  (art)  good  or  fair. 

Wiinishish-id,  He  (is)  good  or  fair. 

Wilnishish-eyaung,  We  (are)  good  or  fair,  (ex.) 

Wanishish-eyung,  We  (are)  good  or  fair,  (in.) 

Wanishish-eyaig,  Ye  (are)  good  or  fair. 

Wiinishish-idjig,  They  (are)  good  or  fair. 

The  inanimate  forms,  being  without  person,  are  simply  ren- 
dered plural  by  wi,  changing  maislavaug  to  maisJciucmg-iii,  &c.  &c. 
The  verbal  signification  which  these  forms  assume,  as  indicated 
in  the  words  am,  art,  is,  are,  is  to  be  sought  in  the  permutative 
change  of  the  first  syllable.  Thus,  o  is  changed  to  u%  muh  to 
mixk^  ivaub  to  loy-auh,  ozau  to  wdzau,  misJc  to  maisJc,  &;c.  The  pro- 
noun, as  is  usual  in  the  double  compounds,  is  formed  wholly  by 
the  inflections  eyaun,  eyun,  &c. 

The  strong  tendency  of  the  adjective  to  assume  a  personal  or 
pronomico-substantive  form,  leads  to  the  employment  of  many 
words  in  a  particular  or  exclusive  sense ;  and,  in  any  future  prac- 
tical attempts  with  the  language,  it  will  be  found  greatly  to  facili- 
tate its  acquisition,  if  the  adjectives  are  arranged  in  distinct  classes, 
separated  by  this  characteristic  principle  of  their  application. 
The  examples  we  have  given  are  chiefly  those  which  may  be 
considered  strictly  animate  or  inanimate,  admit  of  double  forms, 
and  are  of  general  use.  Many  of  the  examples  recorded  in  the 
original  manuscripts  employed  in  these  inquiries,  are  of  a  more 
concrete  character,  and,  at  the  same  time,  a  more  limited  use. 
Thus,  shaugiueive  is  a  weak  person ;  nokaugumme,  a  weak  drink ; 


APPENDIX,  493 

yidkav giciid,  a  weak  or  soft  piece  of  wood.  Sussdgau  is  fine,  but 
can  only  be  applied  to  personal  appearance;  hecsau,  indicates  fine 
grains.  JCecwushkiud  is  giddy,  and  keewusJihudbee,  giddy  with 
drink — both  being  restricted  to  the  third  person.  Sungun  and 
songizzi  are  the  personal  and  impersonal  forms  of  strong,  as 
given  above,  but  musWcoicaugumme  is  strong  drink.  In  like 
manner,  the  two  words  for  hard,  as  above,  are  restricted  to  solid 
substances.  Sunnuhgud  is  hard  (to  endure).  Waintlvxl  is  easy 
(to  perform).  Sorigoddd  is  brave ;  shaugeddd,  cowardly ;  heezhing- 
howizzi,  SiCtive  ]  JcizJieekau,  swift;  onaunegoozzi,  lively;  mimuaindum, 
happy ;  gushkaindum,  sorrowful ;  but  all  these  forms  are  confined 
to  the  third  person  of  the  indicative,  singular.  Pihhigwun  is 
a  rough  or  knotted  substance ;  inihhiggozzi,  a  rough  person.  Keen- 
wau  is  long  or  tall  (any  solid  mass).  Kaynozid  is  a  tall  person. 
Takkozid  a  short  person.  Wassayau  is  light ;  loassaidjizzoo^  the 
light  of  the  eye;  ivasshauzhd,  the  light  of  a  star  or  any  luminous 
body.  Keenau  is  sharp ;  Jvecnauhikud,  a  sharp  knife  or  stone. 
KeezhauhiJceday  is  hot  metal,  a  hot  stove,  &c.  Keezliauguinmeday 
is  hot  water.  Uuhudgeeton  is  useful,  a  useful  thing.  Wauweeug 
is  frivolous,  anything  frivolous  in  word  or  deed.  Tuhhushish 
appears  to  be  a  general  term  for  low.  Ishpimming  is  high  in  the 
air.  Isltpau  is  applied  to  any  high  fixture,  as  a  house,  &c.  Ish- 
p>aid)ihau  is  a  high  rock.     Taushhauhikau^  a  split  rock. 

These  combinations  and  limitations  meet  the  inquirer  at  every 
step;  they  are  the  current  phrases  of  the  language;  they  present 
short,  ready,  and  often  beautiful  modes  of  expression ;  and,  as 
they  shed  light  both  upon  the  idiom  and  genius  of  the  language, 
I  shall  not  scruple  to  add  further  examples  and  illustrations. 
Ask  a  Chippewa  the  name  for  a  rock,  and  he  will  answer  awzhe- 
hih.  The  generic  import  of  awbi.Ic  has  been  explained.  Ask  him 
the  name  for  red  rock,  and  he  will  answer  miskivauhik ;  for  white 
rock,  and  he  will  answer  ivauhauhik ;  for  black  rock,  mukkuddd- 
wauhik;  for  yellow  rock,  ozahiuauhik ;  for  green  rock,  ozhahwushk- 
waidnk ;  for  bright  rock,  ivassaycwMk ;  for  smooth  rock,  shoishk- 
wanhik,  kc. — compounds  in  which  the  words  red,  white,  black, 
yellow,  &c.,  unite  with  auhik.  Pursue  this  inquiry,  and  the  fol- 
lowins;  forms  will  be  elicited: — 


494 


Miskwaubik-ud, 

Waububik-ud, 

Jlukkudllwaubik-ud, 

Ozaliwaubik-ud, 

Wassayaubik-ud, 

Shoiskwaubik-ud, 


Miskwaubik-izzi, 

Waubaubik-izzi, 

MukkuddaTvaubik-izzi, 

Ozahwaubik-izzi, 

Wassyaubik-izzi, 

Slioiskwaubik-izzi, 


APPENDIX. 

Impersonal, 

It  (is)  a  red  rock. 
It  (is)  a  -white  rock. 
It  (is)  a  black  rock. 
It  (is)  a  yellow  rock. 
It  (is)  a  bright  rock. 
It  (is)  a  smooth  rock. 

Personal. 

He  (is)  a  red  rock. 
He  (is)  a  white  rock. 
He  (is)  a  black  rock. 
He  (is)  a  yellow  rock. 
He  (is)  a  bright  rock. 
He  (is)  a  smooth  rock. 


I 


Add  hun  to  these  terms,  and  they  are  made  to  have  passed 
away ;  prefix  tah  to  them,  and  their  future  appearance  is  indicated. 
The  word  "is"  in  the  translations,  although  marked  with  paren- 
theses, is  not  deemed  wholly  gratuitous.  There  is,  strictly  speak- 
ing, an  idea  of  existence  given  to  these  compounds,  by  the  particle 
aw,  in  auhic^  which  seems  to  be  indirectly  a  derivative  from  that 
great  and  fundamental  root  of  the  language  laiL.  Bih  is  appa- 
rently the  radix  of  the  expression  for  "  rock." 

Let  this  mode  of  interrogation  be  continued,  and  extended  to 
other  adjectives,  or  the  same  adjectives  applied  to  other  objects, 
and  results  equally  regular  and  numerous  will  be  obtained. 
Minyiis,  we  shall  be  told  is  an  island ;  misJcominms,  a  red  island ; 
rauTihudddminnis^  a  black  island ;  ivauhemiyim's,  a  white  island,  &c. 
Annokivut^  is  a  cloud;  niishivaunalcivut^  a  red  cloud;  muhhuddawuJz- 
icut^  a  black  cloud;  ivauhdlinokivut^  a  white  cloud;  ozahzvnsJikicah- 
nalavut^  a  blue  cloud,  &c.  Neebe  is  the  specific  term  for  water ; 
but  is  not  generally  used  in  combination  with  the  adjective.  The 
word  guma,  like  auho,  appears  to  be  a  generic  term  for  water,  or 
potable  liquid;^.     Hence,  the  following  terms : — 


Gitshee, 

Great. 

Gitshiguma, 

Great  water. 

Nokun, 

Weak. 

Nokauguma, 

Weak  drink. 

Mushkowau, 

Strong. 

JMushkowauguma, 

Strong  drink. 

Vreeshkobun, 

Sweet. 

Weeshkobauguma, 

Sweet  drink. 

Sheewun, 

Sour. 

Sheewauguma, 

Sour  di'ick. 

Weesugnn, 

Bitter. 

Weesugauguma, 

Bitter  drink. 

Minno, 

Good. 

Minwauguma, 

Good  drink. 

Mouaudud, 

Bad. 

Mahnauguma, 

Bad  drink. 

APPENDIX. 


495 


Miskwaii, 

Red. 

Miskwauguma, 

Eeil  drink. 

Ozaliwau, 

Yellow. 

Ozabwauguma, 

Yellow  drink. 

Weenun, 

Dirty. 

Weenauguma, 

Dirty  water. 

Peeuud, 

Clean. 

Peenauguma, 

Clean  water. 

From  minno,  and  from  monaudud,  good  and  bad,  are  derived 
tlie  following  terms :  Minnopogivud,  it  tastes  well ;  minnojmgoozzi, 
lie  tastes  well ;  mawzhepogivud^  it  tastes  bad ;  maiczhepogoozzi^  he 
tastes  bad.  Minnomaugwud,  it  smells  good;  mmnomaugoozzi]  he 
smells  good ;  maiizheonaugud,  it  smells  bad ;  mauzhemaugoozz}]  he 
smells  bad.  The  inflections  giuud,  and  tzzi,  here  employed,  are 
clearly  indicative,  as  in  other  combinations,  of  the  words  it  and 
hiin. 

Bairmca,  is  sound;  haimivawa,  the  passing  sound;  mmiciiwa,  a 
pleasant  sound ;  maunwdwa^  a  disagreeable  sound ;  mudwayaushkau^ 
the  sound  of  waves  dashing  on  the  shore;  mudwayaunnemud^  the 
sound  of  winds;  mudtvayauJcooshJcaUj  the  sound  of  falling  trees; 
miidwdJcumigishin,  the  sound  of  a  person  falling  upon  the  earth ; 
Tnudwaysin,  the  sound  of  any  inanimate  mass  falling  on  the  earth. 
These  examples  might  be  continued  ad  infinitum.  Every  modifica- 
tion of  circumstances,  almost  every  jDeculiarity  of  thought,  is  ex- 
pressed by  some  modification  of  the  orthography.  Enough  has 
been  given  to  prove  that  the  adjective  combines  itself  with  the 
substantive,  the  verb,  and  the  pronoun,  that  the  combinations  thus 
produced  are  numerous,  afford  concentrated  modes  of  conveying 
ideas,  and  oftentimes,  happy  turns  of  expression.  Numerous  and 
prevalent  as  these  forms  are,  they  do  not,  however,  preclude  the 
use  of  adjectives  in  their  simple  forms.  The  use  of  the  one  or 
the  other  appears  to  be  generally  at  the  option  of  the  speaker. 
In  most  cases  brevity  or  euphony  dictates  the  choice.  Usage  re- 
sults from  these  applications  of  the  principles.  There  may  be  rules 
resting  upon  a  broader  basis ;  but  if  so,  they  do  not  appear  to  be 
very  obvious.  Perhaps  the  simple  adjectives  are  often  employed 
before  verbs  and  nouns,  in  the  first  and  second  persons  singular. 


Ningee  minno  neebau-nabun, 
Ningee  minno  weesin, 
Ningee  minno  pimmoossay, 
Kiigiit  minno  geezbigud, 
Kwauaudy  ningodabs, 
Ke  minno  iau  nub, 
Auneende  ain  deyun, 


I  bave  slept  well. 

I  bave  eaten  a  good  meal. 

I  bave  walked  well,  or  a  good  distance. 

It  (is)  a  very  pleasant  day. 

I  bave  a  bandsome  garment. 

Are  you  well  ? 

Wbat  ails  you  ? 


496 


APPENDIX. 


Kee/.hamonedo  aupadush  shiiwainemik, 

Anpildush  shawaindaugoozzeyun, 

Aupildush  nau  kinwainzh  pimmaudizziyun. 

Ooauncegoozzin, 

Ne  ininwaindum  "waubumenaun, 

Kwanaudj  kweeweezains, 

Kilgat  songeedlili, 

Kiiglit  onishisbsha, 

Gitshee  kiuozee, 

Uggausau  bawizzi, 

Gitshee  sussaigau, 

Bishegaindaugoozziwug  meegwunug, 

Ke  daukoozzinuh, 

Monaudud  muundun  muskeekee, 

Jlouaudud  aindauyun, 

Aindauyaun  mitshau, 

Ne  niittigwaub  onishislislia, 

Ne  bikwukiJn  monaududoa, 

Ne  minwaindaun  appaukoozzegun, 

Kauweekau  neezhikay  ussiimau  ne  suggus- 

wannausee, 
Monaudud  maishkowaugumig, 
Keeguligee  budjeegonaun, 
Gitshee  Monedo  neebe  ogee  iJzheton, 
Inincwug  dush  ween  ishkodiiwaubo  ogee  oz- 

hetiiuahwau, 


God  prosper  you. 

Good  luck  attend  you. 

May  you  live  long. 

Be  (thou)  cheerful. 

I  (am)  glad  to  see  you.  *: 

A  pretty  boy. 

He  (is)  a  brave  man. 

She  (is)  handsome. 

He  (is)  very  tall. 

She  (is)  slender. 

He  (is)  fine  dressed. 

They  (are)  beautiful  feathers. 

Are  you  sick  ? 

This  (is)  bad  medicine. 

My  place  of  dwelling  (is)  bad. 

My  place  of  dwelling  (is)  large. 

My  bow  (is)  good. 

But  my  arrows  (are)  bad. 

I  love  mild  or  mixed  tobacco. 

But  I  never  smoke  pure  tobacco. 

Strong  drink  (is)  bad. 

It  makes  us  foolish. 

The  Great  Spirit  made  water. 

But  man  made  whiskey. 


These  expressions  are  put  down  promiscuously,  embracing  verbs 
and  nouns  as  they  presented  theinselves,  and  without  any  effort 
to  support  the  opinion,  which  may  or  may  not  be  correct,  that 
the  elementary  forms  of  the  adjectives  are  most  commonly  required 
before  verbs  and  nouns  in  the  first  and  second  persons.  The 
English  expression  is  thrown  into  Indian  in  the  most  natural 
manner,  and,  of  course,  without  always  giving  adjective  for  adjec- 
tive or  noun  for  noun.  Thus,  God  is  rendered,  not  monedo^  but 
Oeezha  monedo,  merciful  spirit.  Good  luck  is  rendered  by  the 
compound  phrase,  shdivaindaugoozzegun,  indicating  in  a  very  gene- 
ral sense,  the  influence  of  kindness  or  benevolence  on  success  in  life. 
Songeddd  is,  alone,  a  brave  man,  and  the  word  kdgdt  prefixed,  is  an 
adverb.  In  the  expression  "  mild  tobacco,"  the  adjective  is  en- 
tirely dispensed  with  in  the  Indian,  the  sense  being  sufiiciently 
rendered  by  the  compound  noun  appaukoozzegun,  which  always 
means  the  Indian  weed  or  smoking  mixture.  Ussamau,  on  the 
contrary,  without  the  adjective,  signifies  pure  tobacco.     Bikwukbn, 


APPENDIX.  497 

signifies  blunt  or  lumpy -headed  arrows;  assoivaim,  is  the  barbed 
arrow.  Kivonaudj  kweeweezains  means,  not  simply  *'  pretty  boy," 
h\xt  jiT^iiy  ^itil^  ^oy ;  and  there  is  no  mode  of  using  the  word  boy 
but  in  this  diminutive  form,  the  word  itself  being  a  derivative 
Jceivewe  coryugal^  with  the  regular  diminutive  in  ains.  Onaunee- 
goozzin^  embraces  the  pronoun,  verb,  and  adjective,  he  thou  cheerful. 
In  the  last  phrase  of  the  examples,  "man"  is  rendered  men  {inin- 
eeiouy)  in  the  translation,  as  the  term  man  cannot  be  employed  in 
the  general  plural  sense  it  conveys  in  this  connection  in  the  ori- 
ginal. The  word  "  whiskey"  is  rendered  by  the  compound  phrase, 
ishkvdawaubo,  liiQvaWj  fire-liquor ^  a  generic  for  all  kinds  of  ardent 
spirits. 

These  aberrations  from  the  literal  terms  will  convey  some  con- 
ceptions of  the  difference  of  the  two  idioms,  although,  from  the 
limited  nature  and  object  of  the  examples,  they  will  not  indicate 
the  full  extent  of  the  difference.  In  giving  anything  like  the 
spirit  of  the  original,  much  greater  deviations  in  the  written  forms 
must  appear.  And  in  fact,  not  only  the  structure  of  the  language, 
but  the  mode  and  order  of  thought  of  the  Indians  is  so  essentially 
different,  that  any  attempts  to  preserve  the  English  idiom,  to  give 
letter  for  letter,  and  word  for  word,  must  go  far  to  render  the 
translation  pure  nonsense. 

2.  Varied  as  the  adjective  is  in  its  changes,  it  has  no  compara- 
tive inflection.  A  Chippewa  cannot  say  that  one  substance  is 
hotter  or  colder  than  another,  or  of  two  or  more  substances  un- 
equally heated,  that  this  or  that  is  the  hottest  or  coldest,  without 
employing  adverbs  or  accessory  adjectives;  and  it  is  accordingly 
by  adverbs  and  accessory  adjectives  that  the  degrees  of  com- 
parison are  expressed. 

Pimmaudizziwin^  is  a  very  general  substantive  expression,  indi- 
cating tlie  tenor  of  heing  or  hfe.  Izzheicdhizzhvin^  is  a  term  near 
akin  to  it,  but  more  appropriately  applied  to  the  acts^  conduct^ 
manner^  or  personal  dejwriment  of  Vfe.     Hence  the  expressions — 

Nem  binimaudizziwin,  My  tenor  of  life. 

Ke  bimniaudizziwin,  Thy  tenor  of  life. 

O  pimmaudizziwin,  His  tenor  of  life,  &c. 

JJia  dizhewiiVjizziwin,  My  personal  deportment. 

Ke  dizhewlibizziwin,  Thy  personal  deportment. 

0  Izzhewiibizziwin,  His  personal  deportment,  &c. 

32 


498  APPENDIX. 

To  form  tlie  positive  degree  of  comparison  from  these  terms, 
minno,  good,  and  mudjee,  bad,  are  introduced  between  the  pronoun 
and  verb,  giving  rise  to  some  permutations  of  the  vowels  and  con- 
sonants, which  affect  the  sound  only.     Thus — 

Ne  minno  pimmaudizzi-win,  ]\Iy  good  tenor  of  life. 

Ke  minno  pimmaudizziwin,  Thy  good  tenor  of  life. 

Minno  pimmaudizziwin,  His  good  tenor  of  life. 

Ne  mudjee  pimmaudizziwin.  My  bad  tenor  of  life. 

Ke  mudjee  pimmaudizziwin,  Thy  bad  tenor  of  life. 

Mudjee  pimmaudizziwin,  His  bad  tenor  of  life. 

To  place  these  forms  in  the  comparative  degree,  7iahivudj]  more, 
is  prefixed  to  the  adjective;  and  the  superlative  is  denoted  by 
mahmowee,  an  adverb  or  an  adjective  as  it  is  variously  applied,  but 
the  meaning  of  which  is,  in  this  connection,  most.  The  degrees  of 
comparison  may  be,  therefore,  set  down  as  follows : — 

Positive,  Kishedli.  Hot  (restricted  to  the  heat  of  a  fire), 

Comparative,     Nahwudj  kishedii.  More  hot. 

Superlative,       Mahmowee  kisheda.  Most  hot. 

Your  manner  of  life  is  good,  Ke  dizzhewabizziwin  onishishin. 

Your  manner  of  life  is  better,  Ke  dizzhewabizziwin  nahwudj  onishishin. 

Your  manner  of  life  is  best,  Ke  dizzhewabizziwin  mahwowe(5  onishishin. 

His  manner  of  life  is  best,  Odizzhewiibizziwin  mahmowee  ouishishinine. 

Little  Turtle  was  brave,  Mikkenokons  songedilllbun. 

Tecumseh  was  braver,  Tecumseh  nahwudj  songedaiibun. 

Pontiac  was  bravest,  Pontiac  mahmowee  songediiabun. 

3.  The  adjective  assumes  a  negative  form  when  it  is  preceded 
by  the  adverb.  Thus,  the  phrase  songeddd,  he  is  brave,  is  changed 
to  Jccdiioeen  smgeddiisee,  he  is  not  brave. 

POSITIVE. 

Neebwaukah,  He  is  wise. 

Kwonaudjewe,  She  is  handsome. 

Oskineegee,  He  is  young. 

Shaugweewee,  He  is  feeble. 

Geekkau,  He  is  old. 

Mushkowizzi,  He  is  strong- 

NEGATIVE. 

Kahween  neebwaukah-see.  He  is  not  wise. 

Kahween  kwonaudjewee-see.  She  is  not  handsome. 

Kahween  oskineegee-see.  He  is  not  young. 

Kahween  Shaugweewee-see,  He  is  not  feeble. 

Kahween  Geekkau-see,  He  is  not  old. 

Kahween  Mushkowizzi-see,  He  is  not  strong. 


APPENDIX.  499 

From  this  rule  the  indeclinable  adjectives,  by  which  is  meant 
those  adjectives  which  do  not  put  on  the  personal  and  impersonal 
forms  by  inflection,  but  consist  of  radically  different  roots,  form 
exceptions. 

Are  you  sick  ?  Ke  dahkoozzi  nuh  ? 

You  are  not  sick !  Kahween  ke  dahkoozzi-see 

I  am  happy,  Ne  minwainduin. 

I  am  unhappy,  Kahween  ne  minwainduz-see. 

His  manner  of  life  is  bad,  Mudjee  izzhewabizzi. 

His  manner  of  life  is  not  bad,     Kahween  mudjee  izzhewabizzi-see. 

It  is  large,  Mitshau  muggud. 

It  is  not  large,  Kahween  mitshau-seenon. 

In  these  examples,  the  declinable  adjectives  are  rendered  nega- 
tive in  see;  the  indeclinable,  remain  as  simple  adjuncts  to  the 
verbs ;  and  the  latter  put  on  the  negative  form. 

4.  In  the  hints  and  remarks  which  have  now  been  furnished 
respecting  the  Chippewa  adjective,  its  powers  and  inflections 
have  been  shown  to  run  parallel  with  those  of  the  substantive,  in 
its  separation  into  animates  and  inanimates;  in  having  the  pro- 
nominal inflections;  in  taking  an  inflection  for  tense — a  topic 
which,  by  the  way,  has  been  very  cursorily  passed  over — and  in 
the  numerous  modifications  to  form  the  compounds.  This  paral- 
lelism has  also  been  intimated  to  hold  good  with  respect  to  num- 
ber— a  subject  deeply  interesting  in  itself,  as  it  has  its  analogy 
only  in  the  ancient  languages — and  it  was  therefore  deemed  best 
to  defer  giving  examples,  till  they  could  be  introduced  without 
abstracting  the  attention  from  other  points  of  discussion. 

Minno  and  mudjee^  good  and  bad,  being  of  the  limited  number 
of  personal  adjectives  which  modern  usage  permits  being  applied, 
although  often  improperly  applied  to  inanimate  objects,  they,  as 
well  as  a  few  other  adjectives,  form  exceptions  to  the  use  of 
number.  Whether  we  say  "a  good  man"  or  "a  bad  man," 
"good  men"  or  "bad  men,"  the  words  minno  and  mudjee  remain 
the  same.  But  all  the  declinable  and  coalescing  adjectives — ad- 
jectives which  join  on,  and,  as  it  were,  melt  into  the  body  of  the 
substantive — take  the  usual  plural  inflections,  and  are  governed 
by  the  same  rules  in  regard  to  their  use,  as  the  substantive ;  per- 
sonal adjectives  requiring  personal  plurals,  &c. 


500 


APPENDIX. 


Adjectives  Animate. 
Singular. 


Onisliishewe  misliemin, 
Kwonaudjewe  eekwii, 
Songedaii  inine, 
Bishegaindaugoozzi  peenasee, 
Ozahvrizzi  ahmo, 


Good  apple. 
Handsome  woman. 
Brave  man. 
Beautiful  bird. 
Yellow  bee. 


Plural. 

Onishishewe-wug  mishemin-ug,  Good  apples. 

Kwonaudjewe-wug  eekwli-wug,  Handsome  women. 

Songedaa-wug  inine-wug,  Brave  men. 

Bishegaindaugoozzi-wug  peenasee-wug,  Beautiful  birds. 

Ozaliwizzi-wug  ahm-iig,  Yellow  bees. 


Adjectives  Inanimate. 
Singular. 


Onisliisbin  mittig, 
Kwonaudj  tsbemaun, 
Monaudud  ishkoda, 
Weeshkobun  aidetaig, 


Good  tree. 
Handsome  canoe. 
Bad  fire. 
Sweet  fruit. 


Plural. 

Onishishin-on  mittig-on, 
Kwonaudjewun-ou  tshemaun-un, 
^lonaudud-on  ishkod-iln, 
Weeshkobun-on  aidetaig-in, 


Good  trees. 
Handsome  canoes. 
Bad  fires. 
Sweet  fruits. 


Peculiar  circumstances  are  supposed  to  exist  in  order  to  ren- 
der the  use  of  the  adjective,  in  this  connection  with  the  noun, 
necessary  and  proper.  But,  in  ordinary  instances,  as  the  nar- 
ration of  events,  the  noun  would  precede  the  adjective;  and 
oftentimes,  particularly  where  a  second  allusion  to  objects  pre- 
viously named  became  necessary,  the  compound  expressions 
would  be  used.  Thus,  instead  of  saying  "  the  yellow  bee," 
wazzaliivizzid  would  distinctly  convey  the  idea  of  that  insect,  had 
the  species  heen  hefore  named.  Under  similar  circumstances,  kain- 
waukoozzid,  agausheid,  songaunemud,  mushkowaunemud,  would  re- 
spectively signify,  "  a  tall  tree,"  "  a  small  fly,"  "  a  strong  wind," 
"  a  hard  wind."  And  these  terms  would  become  plural  in  Jig, 
which,  as  before  mentioned,  is  a  mere  modification  of  ig,  one  of 
the  five  general  animate  plural  inflections  of  the  language. 


APPENDIX.  501 

Kdgdt  ivahwinaudj  ahhenojeeug,  is  an  expression  indicating  they 
are  very  handsome  children.  But  heeweezheewug  monetosug  denotes 
small  insects.  Minno  neewugizzi,  is  "good  tempered,"  "he  is  good 
tempered,"  Mawshininewugizzi^  is  "  bad  tempered,"  both  having 
their  plural  in  loug.  Nin  nuneenahwaindum^  "  I  am  lonesome." 
Nin  nuneenahwaindaumin,  "we  (excluding  you)  are  lonesome." 
Waiueea^  is  a  term  generally  used  to  express  the  adjective  sense 
of  round.  Kivy,  is  the  scalp;  iveeivikwy,  his  scalp.  Hence,  wee- 
wukwon,  "  hat,"  wayweewukwonid,  "  a  wearer  of  the  hat ;"  and  its 
plural,  wayiueewuTcivonidjig^  "  wearers  of  the  hats" — the  usual  term 
applied  to  Europeans,  or  white  men  generally.  These  examples 
go  to  prove  that  under  every  form  in  which  the  adjective  can  be 
traeed,  whether  in  its  simplest  or  most  compound  state,  it  is  sus- 
ceptible of  number. 

The  numerals  of  the  language  are  converted  into  adverbs  by 
the  inflection  iyig^  making  one,  once^  &c.  The  unit  exists  in  du- 
plicate. 

Piizhik,  One,  general  unit.       1   a    v  j-  n 

''  )■  AuDeding,  Once. 

Ingoot,  One,  numerical  unit.  > 

Neesh,  Two.  Neeshing,  Twice. 

Niswee,  Three.  Kissing,  Thrice. 

Neewin,  Four.  Neewing,  Four  times. 

Naunun,  Five.  Nauning,  Five  times. 

N'goodwaswH,  Six.  N'goodwautsking,  Six  times. 

Neeshwauswa,  Seven.  Neeshwautshing,  Seven  times. 

Shwauswe,  Eight.  Shwautshing,  Eight  times. 

Shongusswe,  Nine.  Shongutshing,  Nine  times. 

Metauswe,  Ten.  Meetaushing,  Ten  times. 

These  inflections  can  be  carried  as  high  as  they  can  compute 
numbers.  They  count  decimally.  After  reaching  ten,  they  re- 
peat, ten  and  one,  ten  and  two,  &c.  to  twenty.  Twenty  is  a  com- 
pound signifying  two  tens;  thirty,  three  tens,  &c.;  a  mode  which 
is  carried  up  to  one  hundred — nigoodwah.  Wok  then  becomes 
the  word  of  denomination,  combining  with  the  names  of  the  digits 
until  they  reach  a  thousand,  meetaiisivauk,  literally  ten  hundred. 
Here  a  new  compound  term  is  introduced,  made  by  prefixing 
twenty  to  the  last  denominator,  neeshtonnah  duswak,  which  doubles 
the  last  term,  thirty  triples  it,  forty  quadruples  it,  &c.  till  the 
computation  reaches  to  ten  thousand,  n'goodwak  dushing  n'good- 
wak,  one  hundred  times  one  hundred.    This  is  the  probable  ex- 


502  APPENDIX. 

tent  of  all  certain  computation.     The  term  gitshee  (great),  pre- 
fixed to  the  last  denomination,  leaves  the  number  indefinite. 

There  is  no  form  of  the  numerals  corresponding  to  second, 
third,  fourth,  &c.  They  can  only  further  say,  nitium,  first,  and 
ishkwaudj]  last. 

IV. 

Some  Remarks  respecting  the  Agglutinative  Position  and  Properties 

of  the  Pronoun. 

Inquiry  4. 

Nature  and  principles  of  the  pronoun — Its  distinction  into  preformative  and  sub- 
formative  classes — Personal  pronouns — The  distinction  of  an  inclusive  and  ex- 
clusive form  in  the  number  of  the  first  person  plural — Modifications  of  the 
personal  pronouns  to  imply  existence,  individuality,  possession,  o-wnership,  posi- 
tion, and  other  accidents — Declension  of  pronouns  to  answer  the  purpose  of  the 
auxiliary  verbs — Subformatives,  how  employed  to  mark  the  persons — Relative 
pronouns  considered — Their  application  to  the  causative  verbs — Demonstrative 
pronouns — Their  separation  into  two  classes,  animates  and  inanimates — Example 
of  their  use. 

Pronouns  are  buried,  if  we  may  so  say,  in  the  structure  of 
the  verb.  In  tracing  them  back  to  their  primitive  forms,  through 
the  almost  infinite  variety  of  modifications  which  they  assume,  in 
connection  with  the  verb,  substantive,  and  adjective,  it  will  facili- 
tate analysis  to  group  them  into  preformative  and  subformative, 
which  include  the  terms  that  have  already  been  made  use  of — 
pronominal  prefixes,  and  sufiixes — and  which  admit  of  the  further 
distinction  of  separable  and  inseparable.  By  separable,  is  intended 
those  forms  which  have  a  meaning  by  themselves,  and  are  thus 
distinguished  from  the  inflective  and  subformative  pronouns,  and 
pronominal  particles,  significant  only  in  connection  with  another 
word. 

1.  Of  the  first  class,  are  the  personal  pronouns  Neen  (I),  Keen 
(Thou),  and  Ween  or  0  (He  or  She).  They  are  declined,  to  form 
the  plural  persons,  in  the  following  manner: — 


I,                 Neen. 

We, 

Keen  owind.  (in.) 

We, 

Neen  owind.  (ex.) 

Thou,            Keen. 

Ye, 

Keen  owau. 

He  or  she,    Ween  or  0. 

They, 

AVeen  owau. 

APPENDIX.  503 

Here  the  plural  persons  are  formed  by  a  numerical  inflection 
of  the  singular.  The  double  plural  of  the  first  person,  of  which 
both  the  rule  and  examples  have  been  incidentally  given  in  the 
remarks  on  the  substantive,  is  one  of  those  peculiarities  of  the 
language  which  may,  perhaps,  serve  to  aid  in  a  comparison  of  it 
with  other  dialects,  kindred  and  foreign.  As  a  mere  conventional 
agreement  for  denoting  whether  the  person  addressed  be  included 
or  excluded,  it  may  be  regarded  as  an  advantage  to  the  language. 
It  enables  the  speaker,  by  the  change  of  a  single  consonant,  to 
make  a  full  and  clear  discrimination,  and  relieves  the  narration 
from  doubts  and  ambiguity,  where  doubts  and  ambiguity  would 
otherwise  often  exist.  On  the  other  hand,  by  accumulating  dis- 
tinctions, it  loads  the  memory  with  grammatical  forms,  and  opens 
a  door  for  improprieties  of  speech.  We  are  not  aware  of  any 
inconveniences  in  the  use  of  a  general  plural ;  but,  in  the  Indian, 
it  would  produce  confusion.  And  it  is,  perhaps,  to  that  cautious 
desire  of  personal  discrimination,  which  is  so  apparent  in  the 
structure  of  the  language,  that  we  should  look  for  the  reason  of 
the  duplicate  forms  of  this  word.  Once  established,  however, 
and  both  the  distinction,  and  the  necessity  of  a  constant  and 
strict  attention  to  it,  are  very  obvious  and  striking.  How  shall 
he  address  the  Deity?  If  he  say,  "Our  Father  who  art  in 
heaven,"  the  inclusive  form  of  our  makes  the  Almighty  one  of 
the  suppliants,  or  family.  If  he  use  the  exclusive  form,  it  throws 
him  out  of  the  family,  and  may  embrace  every  living  being  but 
the  Deity.  Yet,  neither  of  these  forms  can  be  used  very  well  in 
prayer,  as  they  cannot  be  applied  directly  to  the  object  addressed. 
It  is  only  when  speaking  of  the  Deity,  under  the  name  of  father, 
to  other  persons,  that  the  inclusive  and  exclusive  forms  of  the 
word  our  can  be  used.  The  dilemma  may  be  obviated  by  the 
use  of  a  compound  descriptive  phrase,  Wd  b  se  mig  o  yun^  signify- 
ing, "Thou,  who  art  the  father  of  all,"  or  "universal  father." 
In  practice,  however,  the  question  is  cut  short  by  those  persons 
who  have  embraced  Christianity.  It  has  seemed  to  them  that, 
by  the  nse  of  either  of  the  foregoing  terms,  the  Deity  would  be 
thrown  into  too  remote  a  relation  to  them ;  and  I  have  observed 
that  in  prayer  they  invariably  address  Him  by  the  term  used  by 
children  for  the  father  of  a  family — that  is,  nosa^  "  my  father." 

The  other  personal  pronouns  undergo  some  peculiar  changes 


504  APPENDIX. 

wlien  employed  as  preformatives  before  nouns  and  verbs,  wliicli 
it  is  important  to  remark.  Thus  7ieen^  is  sometimes  rendered  7ie, 
or  «m,  and  sometimes  nwi.  Keen.,  is  rendered  he:,  or  kin.  In 
comj^ound  words,  tlie  mere  signs  of  tbe  first  and  second  pro- 
nouns, N  and  ^,  are  employed.  The  use  of  iveen  is  limited ;  and 
the  third  person,  singular  and  plural,  is  generally  indicated  by 
the  sign  0. 

The  particle  suh,  added  to  the  complete  forms  of  the  disjunctive 
pronouns,  imparts  a  verbal  sense  to  them;  and  appears,  in  this 
instance,  to  be  a  succedaneum  for  the  substantive  verb.  Thus 
Neen.,  I,  becomes  neensuh,  it  is  I.  Keen^  thou,  becomes  heensuh, 
it  is  thou ;  and  ween.,  he  or  she,  lueensuh,  it  is  he  or  she.  This 
particle  may  be  also  added  to  the  plural  forms. 

Keenowind  suh,  It  is  we.  (in.) 

Neenowind  suh,  It  is  we.  (ex.) 

Keenowau  suh,  It  is  ye,  or  you. 

Weenowau  suh,  It  is  they. 

If  the  word  aittah,  be  substituted  for  suh,  a  set  of  adverbial 
phrases  are  formed: — 

Neen  aittah,       I  only.  Neen  aittah  wind.  We,  &c.  (ex.) 

Keen  aittah  wind.  We,  &c.  (in.) 

Keen  aittah.       Thou  only.  Keen  aittah  wau,  You,  &c. 

Ween  aittah,      He  or  she  only.  Ween  aittah  wau,  They,  «S:c. 

In  like  manner,  nitttnn,  first,  and  ishhwaudj,  last,  give  rise  to 
the  following  arrangement  of  the  pronoun : — 

Neen  nittnm,  I  first. 

Keen  nittum,  You  or  thou  first. 


AVeen  nittum.  He  or  she  first 

Keen  nittum  ewind, 


We  first,  (in.)  ■ 

Neen  nittum  ewind.  We  first,  (ex.)  ■ 

Keen  nittum  ewau.  Ye  or  you  first. 

Ween  nittum  ewau.  They  first. 

ISHKWAUDJ. 

Neen  ishfewaudj,  I  last. 

Keen  ishkwaudj.  Thou  last. 

AVeen  ishkwaudj.  He  or  she  last- 

Keenowind  ishkwaudj.  We  last,  (in.) 

Neenowind  ishkwaudj.  We  last,  (ex.) 

Keenowau  ishkwaudj,  Ye  or  you  last. 

Weenowau  ishkwaudj,  They  last. 


APPENDIX.  505 

The  disjunctive  forms  of  the  pronoun  are  also  sometimes  pre- 
served before  verbs  and  adjectives. 

Neezhika.     Alone,  (an.) 

Neen  neezhika,  I  alone. 

Keen  neezhika,  Thou  alone. 

AVeen  neezhika.  He  or  she  alone. 

Keenowind  neezhika,  We  alone,  (in.) 

Neenowind  neezhika,  We  alone,  (ex.) 

Keenowau  neezhika,  Ye  or  you  alone. 

Weenowau  neezhika.  They  alone. 

To  give  these  expressions  a  verbal  form,  the  substantive  verb, 
with  its  pronominal  modifications,  must  be  superadded.  For  in- 
stance, /  can  alone,  &c.  is  thus  rendered : — 

Neen  neezhika  nindyau,  I  am  alone  -\-  aumin. 

Keen  neezhika  keedyau,  Thou  art  alone  -f-  aum. 

Ween  nezhika  iyau,  He  or  she  is  alone,  «&c.  -{-  Tvug. 

In  the  subjoined  examples,  the  noun  ow,  body,  is  changed  to 
a  verb,  by  the  permutation  of  the  vowel,  changing  ow,  to  AUW ; 
which  last  takes  the  letter  d  before  it  when  the  pronoun  is  pre- 
fixed : — 

I  am  a  man,  Neen  nin  dauw. 

Thou  art  a  man,  Keen  ke  dauw. 

He  is  a  man,  AVeen  ah  weeh. 

We  are  men,  (in.)  Ke  dauw  we  min. 

W'e  are  men,  (ex.)  Ne  dauw  we  min. 

Ye  are  men,  Ke  dauw  mim. 

They  are  men,  Weenowau  ah  weeh  wug. 

In  the  translation  of  these  expressions,  "  man"  is  used  as  sy- 
nonymous with  "person."  If  the  specific  term  inine  had  been 
introduced,  in  the  original,  the  meaning  thereby  conveyed  would 
be,  in  this  particular  connection,  "  I  am  a  man,"  with  respect  to 
courage,  &c.  in  opposition  to  effeminacy.  It  would  not  be  simply 
declarative  of  corporeal  existence^  but  of  existence  in  a  particular 
state  or  condition. 

In  the  following  phrases,  the  modified  forms,  or  the  signs  only, 
of  the  pronouns  are  used: — 

N'debaindaun,  I  own  it. 

Ke  debaindaun,  Thou  ownst  it. 

0  debaindaim,  He  or  she  owns  it. 


506 


APPENDIX. 


N'  debaindaum-in, 
Ke  debaindaum-in, 
Ke  debaindaun-ewau, 
0  debaindaun-ewau, 


We  own  it.  (ex.) 
We  own  it.  (in.) 
Ye  own  it. 
Tliey  own  it. 


These  examples  are  cited  as  exhibiting  the  manner  in  which 
the  prefixed  and  preformative  pronouns  are  employed,  both  in 
their  full  and  contracted  forms.  To  denote  possession,  nouns 
specifying  the  things  possessed  are  required ;  and,  what  would 
not  be  anticipated  had  not  full  examples  of  this  species  of  declen- 
sion been  given  in  another  j)lace,  the  purposes  of  distinction  are 
not  affected  by  a  simple  change  of  the  pronoun,  as  /  to  mine^  &c., 
but  by  a  subformative  inflection  of  the  noun^  which  is  thus  made 
to  have  a  reflective  operation  upon  the  pronoun  speaker.  It  is 
believed  that  sufficient  examples  of  this  rule,  in  all  the  modifica- 
tions of  inflection,  have  been  given  under  the  head  of  the  sub- 
stantive. But  as  the  substantives  employed  to  elicit  these  modi- 
fications were  exclusively  specific  in  their  meaning,  it  may  be 
proper  here,  in  further  illustration  of  an  important  principle,  to 
present  a  generic  substantive  under  their  compound  forms. 

I  have  selected  for  this  purpose  one  of  the  primitives.  lE-Au', 
is  the  abstract  term  for  matter.  It  is  in  the  animate  form.  Its 
inanimate  correspondent  is  ie-ee'.  These  are  two  important  roots. 
And  they  are  found  in  combination,  in  a  very  great  number  of 
derivative  words.  It  will  be  sufficient  here,  to  show  their  con- 
nection with  the  pronoun,  in  the  production  of  a  class  of  terms 
in  very  general  use. 


Animate  Forms. 

Possessive. 

SINGULAR. 

PLUKAL. 

Nin  dye  aum, 

Mine. 

Nin  dye  auminaun, 
Ke  dye  auminaun, 

Ours,   (ex.) 
Oui-s.  (in.) 

Ke  dye  aum, 

TMne. 

Ke  dyii  aumewau, 

Objective. 

Yours. 

0  dye  aum-un, 

His  or 

Hers 

0  dye  aumewaun, 

Theirs. 

Nin  dye  eem, 
Ke  dye  eem, 


SINGULAR. 

Mine. 


Thine. 


Inanimate  Forms. 
Possessive.    - 

PLURAL. 

Nin  dye  eeminaun,  Ours,  (ex.) 

Ke  dye  eeminaun,  Ours,  (in.) 

Ke  dye  eemewau,  Yours. 


APPENDIX. 


507 


Objective. 


0  c1v6  eem. 


His  or  Hers. 


0  dye  eemewau,  Theirs,  (pos.  in.) 


In  these  forms  the  noun  is  singular  throughout.  To  render  it 
plural,  as  well  as  the  pronoun,  the  appropriate  general  plurals  ug 
and  W72,  or  ig  and  wi,  must  be  superadded.  But  it  must  be  borne 
in  mind,  in  making  these  additions,  "  that  the  plural  inflection  to 
inanimate  nouns  (which  have  no  objective  case),  forms  the  object- 
ive case  to  animate,  which  have  no  number  in  the  third  person." 
(p.  461.)  The  particle  tin.,  therefore,  which  is  the  appropriate 
plural  for  the  inanimate  nouns  in  these  examples,  is  only  the  ob- 
jective mark  of  the  animate. 

The  plural  of  I,  is  naun^  the  plural  of  thou  and  he,  ivau.  But 
as  these  inflections  would  not  coalesce  smoothly  with  the  possess- 
ive inflections,  the  connective  vowels  i  and  e  are  prefixed,  making 
the  plural  of  I,  inaun,  and  of  thou,  &c.,  ewaii. 

If  we  strike  from  these  declensions  the  root  IE,  leaving  its  ani- 
mate and  inanimate  forms  AU  and  ee,  and  adding  the  plural  of 
the  noun,  we  shall  then,  taking  the  animate  declension  as  an  in- 
stance, have  the  following  formula  of  the  pronominal  declensions: 


ProTioun 
singular. 

Place  of  the 
noun. 

1  Objective 
inflection  to 
PcssessiTe  the     noun 
inflection,   singular. 

Connective 

vowel. 

Plural  inflec- 
tion   of   the 
pronoun. 

Objective 

inflection, 

noun 

plural. 

Plural  of 
the  noun. 

Ne 

aum 

i 

naun 

ig 

Ke 

aum 

e 

wau 

g 

0 

aum           un 

0 

aum 

e 

wau 

n 

To  render  this  formula  of  general  use,  six  variations  (five  in 
addition  to  the  above)  of  the  possessive  inflection  are  required, 
corresponding  to  the  six  classes  of  substantives,  whereby  aum 
would  be  changed  to  aw,  eem^  %m,  om^  and  oom^  conformably  to  the 
examples  heretofore  given  in  treating  of  the  substantive.  The 
objective  inflection  would  also  be  sometimes  changed  to  een^  and 
sometimes  to  oan. 

Having  thus  indicated  the  mode  of  distinguishing  the  person, 
number,  relation,  and  gender,  or  what  is  deemed  its  technical 
equivalent,  the  mutations  words  undergo,  not  to  mark  the  dis- 


508  APPENDIX. 

tinctions  of  sex,  but  the  presence  or  absence  of  vitality,  I  stall 
now  advert  to  the  inflections  which  the  pronouns  take  for  te?ise, 
or  rather  to  form  the  auxiliary  verbs,  have,  had,  shall,  will,  may, 
&c. ;  a  very  curious  and  important  principle,  and  one  which  clearly 
demonstrates  that  no  part  of  speech  has  escaped  the  transforming 
genius  of  the  language.  Not  only  are  the  three  great  modifica- 
tions of  time  accurately  marked  in  the  verbal  form  of  the  Chip- 
pewas,  but,  by  the  inflection  of  the  pronoun,  they  are  enabled  to 
indicate  some  of  the  oblique  tenses,  and  thereby  to  conjugate 
their  verbs  with  accuracy  and  precision. 

The  particle  gee  added  to  the  first,  second,  and  third  person 
singular,  of  the  present  tense,  changes  them  to  the  perfect  past, 
rendering  I,  thou,  he,  I  did,  have,  or  had;  thou  didst,  hast,  or 
hadst ;  he  or  she  did,  have,  or  had.  If  gah  be  substituted  for  gee, 
the  first  future  tense  is  formed,  and  the  perfect  past  added  to  the 
first  future,  forms  the  conditional  future.  As  the  eye  may  prove 
an  auxiliary  in  the  comprehension  of  forms  which  are  not  fami- 
liar, the  following  tabular  arrangement  of  them  is  presented. 


' 

First  person,  I. 

Nin  gee, 

I  did,  have,  had. 

Nin  gah, 

I  shall,  will. 

Nin  gah  gee. 

I  shall  have,  will  have. 

Second  person,  Thou. 

Ke  gee, 

Thou  didst,  hast,  hadst. 

Ke  gah, 

Thou  Shalt,  wilt. 

Ke  gah  gee, 

Thou  shalt  have,  wilt  have, 

Third  person,  He  or  She. 

0  gee.  He  or  she  did,  have,  had. 

0  gah,  He  or  she  did,  have,  had. 

0  gah  gee,  He  or  she  shall  have,  will  have. 

The  present  and  imperfect  tense  of  the  potential  mood  is  formed 
by  dau,  and  the  perfect  by  gee  sufiixed,  as  in  other  instances. 


I 


First  person,  I. 

Nin  dau. 

I  may,  can,  &c. 

Nin  dau  gee, 

I  may  have,  can  have,  &c. 

Second  person,  Thou. 

Ke  dau, 

Thou  mayst,  canst,  &c. 

Ke  dau  gee, 

Thou  mayst  have,  canst  have, 

APPENDIX.  509 

Tbirei  person,  lie  or  Slie. 

0  dau,  He  or  she  may,  can,  &c. 

0  dau  gee,  He  or  she  may  haAC,  can  have,  &c. 

In  conjugating  tlie  verbs  through  the  plural  person,  the  singu- 
lar terms  for  the  pronoun  remain,  and  they  are  rendered  plural 
by  a  retrospective  action  of  the  pronominal  inflections  of  the 
verb.  In  this  manner  the  pronoun- verb  auxiliary  has  a  general 
application,  and  the  necessity  of  double  forms  is  avoided. 

The  preceding  observations  are  confined  to  the  formative  or 
prefixed  pronouns.  The  inseparable  suffixed  or  subformative  are 
as  follows : — 

Yaun,  My. 

Yun,  Thy. 

Id  or  d,  His  or  hers. 

Yaung,  Our.  (ex.) 

Yung,  Our.  (in.) 

Yaig,  Your. 

Waud,  Their. 

These  pronouns  are  exclusively  employed  as  suffixes,  and  as 
suffixes  to  the  descriptive  compound  substantives,  adjectives,  and 
verbs.  Both  the  rule  and  examples  have  been  stated  under  the 
head  of  the  substantives,  p.  463,  and  adjectives,  p.  492.  Their 
application  to  the  verb  will  be  shown  as  we  proceed. 

2.  Relative  Pronouns. — In  a  language  which  provides  for  the 
distinction  of  person  by  particles  prefixed  or  suffixed  to  the  verb, 
it  will  scarcely  be  expected  that  separate  and  independent  relative 
pronouns  should  exist,  or  if  such  are  to  be  found,  their  use,  as  sepa- 
rate parts  of  speech,  must,  it  will  have  been  anticipated,  be  quite 
limited ;  limited  to  simple  interrogatory  forms  of  expression,  and 
not  applicable  to  the  indicative  or  declaratory.  Such  will  be 
found  to  be  the  fact  in  the  language  under  review ;  and  it  will  be 
perceived  from  the  subjoined  examples,  that  in  all  instances  re- 
quiring the  relative  pronoun  ivho^  other  than  the  simple  interro- 
gatory forms,  this  relation  is  indicated  by  the  inflections  of  the 
verb,  or  adjective,  &c.  Nor  does  there  appear  to  be  any  declen- 
sion of  the  separate  pronoun  corresponding  to  ivhose  and  ivhom. 

The  word  Ahwaynain^  may  be  said  to  be  uniformly  employed 
in  the  sense  of  who,  under  the  limitations  we  have  mentioned. 
For  instance — 


510  APPENDIX. 

Who  is  there?  Ahwaynain  e-mah  ai-aud? 

Who  spoke  ?  Ahwaynain  kau  keegcedood  ? 

Who  told  you  ?  Ahwaynain  kau  weendumoak  ? 

Who  are  you?  Ahwaynain  iau  we  yun ? 

AVho  sent  you  ?  Ahwaynain  wayniinik  ? 

Who  is  your  father  ?  Ahwaynain  kos  ? 

Who  did  it  ?  Ahwaynain  kau  todung  ? 

Whose  dog  is  it  ?  Ahwaynain  way  dyid  ? 

Whose  pipe  is  that?  Ahwaynain  dcipwaugunid  en-eu? 

Whose  lodge  is  it  ?  Ahwaynain  way  weegewomid  ? 

Whom  do  you  seek  ?  Ahwaynain  nain  dau  wau  bumud  ? 

Whom  have  you  here  ?  Ahwaynain  oh-amau  ai  auwaud  ? 

Not  the  slightest  variation  is  made  in  these  phrases  between 
who,  whose,  and  whom. 

Should  we  wish  to  change  the  interrogative,  and  to  say  he  who 
is  there,  he  who  spoke,  he  who  told  you,  &c.,  the  separable  per- 
sonal pronoun  weeyi  (he)  must  be  used  in  lieu  of  the  relative ;  and 
the  following  forms  will  be  elicited : — 

Ween,  kau  unnonik,  He  (who)  sent  you. 

Ween,  kau  geedood,  He  (who)  spoke. 

Ween,  ae-aud  e-mah,  He  (who)  is  there. 

Ween,  kau  weendumoak,  He  (who)  told  you. 

Ween,  kau  todung,  He  (who)  did  it,  &c. 

If  we  object  that,  in  these  forms,  there  is  no  longer  the  relative 
pronoun  icho,  the  sense  being  simply  he  sent  you,  he  spoke,  &c., 
it  is  replied  that,  if  it  be  intended  only  to  say  he  sent  you,  &c., 
and  not  he  ivho  sent  you,  &c.,  the  following  forms  are  used : — 

Ke  gee  unnonig.  He  (sent)  you. 

Ainnozhid,  He  (sent)  me. 

Ainnonaud,  He  (sent)  him. 

Iau  e-mau,  He  is  there. 

Ke  geedo.  He  (spoke). 

Ke  gee  weendumaug,  He  (told)  you.    ' 

Ke  to  dura.  He  did  it. 

We  reply  to  this  answer  of  the  native  speaker,  that  the  particle 
kau  prefixed  to  a  verb,  denotes  the  past  tense ;  that  in  the  former 
series  of  terms  in  which  this  particle  appears,  the  verbs  are  in 
the  perfect  indicative,  and  in  the  latter,  they  are  in  the  present 
indicative,  marking  the  difference  only  between  sent  and  send, 
spoke  and  speak,  &c. ;  and  that  there  is  absolutely  no  relative  pro- 
noun in  either  series  of  terms.     We  further  observe,  that  the 


APPENDIX.  511 

personal  pronoun  2vem,  prefixed  to  the  first  set  of  terms,  may  be 
prefixed,  with  equal  propriety,  to  the  second  set,  and  that  its  use 
or  disuse  is  perfectly  optional  with  the  speaker,  as  he  may  wish 
to  give  additional  energy  or  emphasis  to  the  expression.  To  these 
positions^  after  reflection,  discussion,  and  examination,  we  receive 
an  assent,  and  thus  the  uncertainty  is  terminated. 

We  now  wish  to  apply  the  principle  thus  elicited  to  verbs 
causative,  and  to  other  compound  terms — to  the  adjective  verbs, 
for  instance — and  to  the  other  verbal  compound  expressions,  in 
which  the  objective  and  the  nominative  persons  are  incorporated 
as  a  part  of  the  verb,  and  are  not  prefixes  to  it.  This  may  be 
shown  in  the  causative  verb — 

TO   MAKE    HAPPY. 

Mainwaindumeid,  He  (who)  makes  me  happy, 

Mainwaindumeik,  He  (who)  makes  thee  happy. 

Mainwaindumeaud,  He  (who)  makes  him  happy. 

Mainwaindumeinung,  He  (who)  makes  us  happy,  (in.) 

Mainwaindumeyaug,  He  (who)  makes  us  happy,  (ex.) 

Mainwaindumeinuaig,  He  (who)  makes  ye  or  i/ou  happy. 

Mainwaindumeigowaud,  He  (who)  makes  them  happy. 

And  SO  the  forms  might  be  continued  throughout  all  the  ob- 
jective persons — 

Mainwaindum  e  yun,  Thou  (who)  makest  me  happy,  &c. 

The  basis  of  these  compounds  is  minno,  "good,"  and  aindum, 
"  the  mind."  Hence,  minwaindum^  "  he  happy."  The  adjective, 
in  this  connection,  cannot  be  translated  "good,"  but  its  effect 
upon  the  noun  is  to  denote  that  state  of  the  mind  which  is  at  rest 
with  itself.  The  first  change  from  this  simple  compound,  is  to 
give  the  adjective  a  verbal  form;  and  this  is  effected  by  a  permu- 
tation of  the  vowels  of  the  first  syllable — a  rule  of  very  extensive 
application — and  by  which,  in  the  present  instance,  the  phrase 
"  he  happy,"  is  changed  to  "  he  makes  happy,"  {mainwaindum) 
The  next  step  is  to  add  the  sufiix  personal  pronouns,  id^  ih,  aud, 
kc,  rendering  the  expressions,  "  he  makes  me  happy,"  &c.  But, 
in  adding  these  increments,  the  vowel  e  is  thrown  between  the 
adjective- verb  and  the  pronoun  suffixed,  making  the  expression, 
not  maimvaindum-yun,  but  mainwaindum  tyun.  Generally,  the 
vowel  e,  in  this  situation,  is  a  connective,  or  introduced  merely 
for  the  sake  of  euphony.    And  those  who  maintain  that  it  is  here 


512  APPENDIX. 

employed  as  a  personal  pronoun,  and  that  the  relative  who  is  im- 
plied by  the  final  inflection,  overlook  the  inevitable  inference, 
that  if  the  marked  e  stands  for  me  in  the  first  phrase,  it  must 
stand  for  iliee  in  the  second,  he  in  the  third,  us  in  the  fourth,  &c. 
As  to  the  meaning  and  ofhce  of  the  final  inflections  %c^,  ik^  &c., 
whatever  they  may,  in  an  involuted  sense,  imjoly,  it  is  quite  clear, 
by  turning  to  the  list  of  suffixed  j^^^sonal  pronouns^  and  animate 
-plurals^  that  they  mark  the  persons,  I,  thou,  he,  &c.,  we,  ye, 
they,  &c. 

Take,  for  example,  minivaindumeigoivaud,  "he  (who)  makes 
them  happy."  Of  this  compound,  minwaindum,  as  before  shown, 
signifies  "he  makes  happy."  But  as  the  verb  is  in  the  singular 
number,  it  implies  that  but  one  person  is  made  happy;  and  the 
suffixed  personal  pronouns  singular,  mark  the  distinctions  be- 
tween me,  thee,  and  he,  or  him. 

Minwaindum-e-ig  is  the  verb  plural,  and  implies  that  several 
persons  are  made  happy ;  and,  in  like  manner,  the  suffixed  per- 
sonal pronouns  plural,  mark  the  distinctions  between  we,  ye, 
they,  &c.;  for  it  is  a  rule  of  the  language,  that  a  strict  concord- 
ance must  exist  between  the  number  of  the  verb  and  the  number 
of  the  pronoun.  The  termination  of  the  verb  consequently 
always  indicates  whether  there  be  one  or  many  objects  to  which 
its  energy  is  directed.  And  as  animate  verbs  can  be  applied 
only  to  animate  objects,  the  numerical  inflections  of  the  verb  are 
understood  to  mark  the  number  of  persons.  But  this  number  is 
indiscriminate,  and  leaves  the  sense  vague  until  the  pronominal 
suffixes  are  superadded.  Those  who,  therefore,  contend  for  the 
sense  of  the  relative  pronoun  "  who"  being  given  in  the  last-men- 
tioned phrase,  and  all  phrases  similarly  formed  by  a  succeda- 
neum,  contend  for  something  like  the  following  form  of  trans- 
lation :  "  He  makes  them  happy — him !"  or  "  Him — he  (meaning 
'  who')  makes  them  happy." 

The  equivalent  for  ivhat,  is  v:aygonain. 

What  do  you  want  ?  AVaygonain  wau  iauyun  ?  ' 

What  have  you  lost?  Waygonain  kau  wonetoyun? 

What  do  you  look  for?  Waygonain  nain  dahwau  bundahmun? 

What  is  this  ?  Waygonain  ewinain  maundun  ? 

What  will  you  have  ?  Waygonain  kad  iauyun  ? 

What  detained  you?  Waygonain  kau  oon  dahme  egoyun  ? 

What  are  you  making  ?  Waygonain  wayzhetoyun  ? 

What  have  you  there  ?  Waygonain  e-mau  iauyun  ? 


APPENDIX.  513 

The  use  of  this  pronoun,  like  the  preceding,  appears  to  be  con- 
fined to  simple  interrogative  forms.  The  word  auneen,  which 
sometimes  supplies  its  place,  or  is  used  for  want  of  the  pronoun 
which.,  is  an  adverb,  and  has  considerable  latitude  of  meaning. 
Most  commonly,  it  may  be  considered  as  the  equivalent  for  Joow^ 
in  what  manner,  or  at  what  time. 

"What  do  you  say  ?  Auneen  akeedoyun  ? 

What  do  you  call  this?  Auneen  aizheneekaudahmunmaundun?(i.) 

What  ails  you?  Auneen  aindeeyun  ? 

What  is  your  name  ?  Auneen  aizheekauzoyun  ? 

Which  do  you  mean,  this  or  that  ?  (an.)    Auneen    ah-ow    ainud,    woh-ow    giimau 

ewaidde  ? 
Which  do  you  mean,  this  or  that  ?  (in.)    Auneen   eh-eu  ewaidumun   oh-oo  giimau 

ewaidde  ? 
Which  boy  do  you  mean  ?  Auneen  ah-ow-ainud  ? 

By  adding  to  this  word  the  particle  c?e,  it  is  converted  into  an 
adverb  of  place,  and  may  be  rendered  ivhere. 

Where  do  you  dwell  ?  Auneende  aindauyun  ? 

Where  is  your  son  ?  Auneende  ke  gwiss  ? 

Where  did  you  see  him?  Auneende  ke  waubumud? 

Where  did  you  see  it  ?  Auneende  ke  waubundumun  ? 

Where  are  you  going  ?  Auneende  azhauyun  ? 

Where  did  you  come  from  ?  Auneende  ka  oonjeebauyun  ? 

Where  is  your  pipe  ?  Auneende  ke  dopwaugun  ? 

Where  is  your  gun  ?  Auneende  ke  baushkizzigun  ? 

By  a  still  further  modification,  it  is  rendered  an  adverb  of  in- 
quiry of  the  cause  or  motive. 

Why  do  you  do  so  ?  Auneeshween  eh  eu  todumun? 

Why  do  you  say  so  ?  Auneeshween  eh  eu  ekeedoyun  ? 

Why  are  you  angry  ?  Auneeshween  nishkaudizzeyun  ? 

Why  will  you  depart  ?  Auneeshween  wee  matyauyun  ? 

Why  will  you  not  depart?  Auneeshween  matyauseewun  ? 

Why  have  you  come  ?  Auneeshween  ke  peezhauyun  ? 

Tell  me  why  ?  Weendumowishin  auneeshween  ? 

Wherefore  is  it  so  ?  Auneeshween  eh-eu  izzhewaibuk  ?  (in.) 
Wherefore  did  you  strike  him  ?       Auneeshween  ke  pukketaywud  ? 

3.  Demonstrative  pronouns  are  either  animate  or  inanimate, 
and  may  be  arranged  as  follows : — 
33 


514  APPENDIX. 


ANIMATE.  INANIMATE. 

Mau-bum  (impersonal),  -i       .  Maun-dun  (inanimate  proper). 

Woh-ow  (personal),         /         "  Oh-oo  (inanimate  conTentional). 

Ah-ow,  •  That.  Eh-eu. 

Mau-mig,  These.  Mau-min. 

Ig-eu  (personal),      ■)  In-eu  (inanimate  proper). 
Those. 


,,} 


I-goo  (impersonal),  /  '  0-noo  (inanimate  conventional). 

These  words  are  not  always  used  merely  to  ascertain  the  ob- 
ject, but  often,  perhaps  always,  when  the  object  is  present  to  the 
sight,  have  a  substantive  meaning,  and  are  used  without  the 
noun.  It  creates  no  uncertainty,  if  a  man  be  standing  at  some 
distance  to  say,  Ah-oiv;  or  if  a  canoe  be  lying  at  some  distance, 
to  say,  Eh-eit;  the  meaning  is  clearly,  that  person,  or  that  canoe, 
whether  the  noun  be  added  or  not.  Or,  if  there  be  two  animate 
objects  standing  together,  or  two  inanimate  objects  lying  together, 
the  words  maumig  (a.),  or  maumin  (i.),  if  they  be  near,  or  ig-eu, 
(a.),  or  in-eu  (i.),  if  they  be  distant,  are  equally  expressive  of  the 
materiality  of  the  objects,  as  well  as  their  relative  position.  Under 
other  circumstances  the  noun  would  be  required,  as  where  two 
animate  objects  of  diverse  character — a  man  and  a  horse  for  in- 
stance— were  standing  near  each  other ;  or  a  canoe  and  a  package 
of  goods  were  lying  near  each  other — and,  in  fact,  under  all  circum- 
stances— the  noun  may  be  used  after  the  demonstrative  pronoun, 
without  violating  any  rule  of  grammar,  although  not  without  the 
imputation,  in  many  instances,  of  being  over-formal  and  unneces- 
sarily minute.  What  is  deemed  redundant,  however,  in  oral  use, 
and  amongst  a  people  who  supply  much  by  sight  and  gesticu- 
lation, becomes  quite  necessary  in  writing  the  language ;  and,  in 
the  following  sentences,  the  substantive  is  properly  employed 
after  the  pronoun : — 

This  dog  is  very  lean,  Gitshee  bukaukuddoozo  woh-ow  annemoosh. 

These  dogs  are  very  lean,  Gitshee  bukaukuddoozowug  o-goo  annemooshug. 

Those  dogs  are  fat,  Ig-eu  annemooshug  ■ween-in-oowug. 

That  dog  is  fat,  Ah-ow  annemoosh  ween-in-oo. 

This  is  a  handsome  knife,  Gagait  onishishin  maundun  mokomahn. 

These  are  handsome  knives,  Gagait  ■wahwinaudj  o-noo  mokomahnun. 

Those  are  bad  knives,  Monaududiin  iu-euwaidde  mokomahnun. 

Give  me  that  spear,  Meezhishin  eh-eu  ahnitt. 

Give  me  those  spears,  Meezhishin  in-eu  unnewaidde  ahnitteen. 

That  is  a  fine  boy,  Gagait  kwonaudj  ah-ow  kweewezains. 

Those  are  fine  boys,  Gagait  wahwinaudj  ig-euwaidde  kweewezaiusug. 


APPENDIX.  515 

This  boy  is  larger  than  that,   Naliwudj    mindiddo   woh-ow    kwccwezains    e-waidde 

dush. 
That  is  what  I  wanted,  Meeh-eu  wau  iauyaumbaun. 

This  is  the  very  thing  I  wanted,  Mee-suh  oh-oo  wau  iauyaumbaun. 

In  some  of  these  expressions,  tlie  pronoun  combines  with  an 
adjective,  as  in  the  compound  words  ineuwaidde  and  igeuwaidde, 
those  yonder  (in.),  and  those  yonder  (an.).  Compounds  which  exhibit 
the  full  pronoun  in  coalescence  with  the  adverb  ewaidde^  yonder. 


2.  NATUEAL  HISTORY. 
V. 

ZOOLOGY. 

1.  Limits  of  the  Range  of  the  Cervus  Sylvestris  in  the  Northivestern 
parts  of  the  United  States.  By  Henry  K.  Schoolcraft.  (North- 
west Journal.) 

2.  Description  of  the  FringiUa  Vespertina^  discovered  hy  Mr.  School- 
craft in  the  Northioest.  By  William  Cooper.  (Annals  of  the 
New  York  Lyceum  of  Natural  History.) 

3.  CoNCHOLOGY. — List  of  Shells  collected  hy  Mr.  Schoolcraft,  in  the 
Western  and  Northwestern  Territory.    By  William  Cooper. 

HELIX. 

1.  Helix  albolabris,  Say.    Near  Lake  Michigan. 

2.  Helix  alternata,  Say.  Banks  of  the  Wabash,  near  and 
above  the  Tippecanoe.  Mr.  Say  remarks,  that  these  two  species, 
so  common  in  the  Atlantic  States,  were  not  met  with  in  Major 
Long's  second  expedition,  Until  their  arrival  in  the  secondary 
country  at  the  eastern  extremity  of  Lake  Superior. 

PLANOEBIS. 

3.  Plaxorbis  campanulatus,  Say.  Itasca  (or  La  Biche)  Lake, 
the  source  of  the  Mississippi. 

4.  Planorbis  trivolyis,  Say.     Lake  ]\Iichigan.    These  two 


516  APPENDIX.  ' 

species  were  also  observed  by  Mr.  Say,  as  far  east  as  the  Falls  of 
Niagara. 

LYMNEUS. 

5.  Lymneus  umbrosus,  Saj/,  Am.  Con.  iv.  pi.  xxxi.  Fig.  1. 
Lake  Winnipec,  Upper  Mississippi,  and  Eainy  Lake. 

6.  Lymneus  reflexus.  Say,  1.  c.  pi.  xxxi.  Fig.  2.  Eainy  Lake, 
Seine  River,  and  Lake  Winnipec. 

7.  Lymneus  stagnalis.    Lake  a  la  Crosse,  Upper  Mississippi. 

PALUDINA. 

8.  Paludina  ponderosa,  Say.     Wisconsin  River. 

9.  Paludina  vivipara.  Say,  Am.  Con.  i.  pi.  x.  The  American 
specimens  of  this  shell  are  more  depressed  than  the  European, 
but  appear  to  be  identical  in  species. 

MELANIA. 

10.  Melania  virginica.  Say.     Lake  Michigan. 

ANODONTA. 

11.  Anodonta   cataracta.  Say.      Chicago,  Lake   Michigan. 
•  This  species,  Mr.  Lea  remarks,  has  a  great  geographical  extension. 

12.  Anodonta  corpulenta.  Nobis.  Shell  thin  and  fragile, 
though  less  so  than  others  of  the  genus ;  much  inflated  at  the 
umbones,  margins  somewhat  compressed;  valves  connate  over 
the  hinge  in  perfect  specimens ;  surface  dark  brown,  in  old  shells ; 
in  younger,  of  a  pale  dingy  green,  and  without  rays,  in  all  I 
have  examined  ;  beaks  slightly  undulated  at  the  tip.  The  color 
within  is  generally  of  a  livid  coppery  hue,  but  sometimes,  also, 
pure  white. 

Length  of  a  middling  sized  specimen,  four  and  a  half  inches, 
breadth,  six  and  a  quarter.  It  is  often  eighteen  inches  in  circum- 
ference round  the  border  of  the  valves,  with  a  diameter  through 
the  umbones  of  three  inches.  Inhabits  the  Upper  Mississippi, 
from  Prairie  du  Chien  to  Lake  Pepin. 

This  fine  shell,  much  the  largest  I  have  seen  of  the  genus,  was 
first  sent  by  Mr.  Schoolcraft,  to  the  Lyceum,  several  years  ago. 
So  far  as  I  am  able  to  discover,  it  is  undescribed,  and  a  distinct 
and  remarkable  species.     It  may  be  known  by  its  length  being 


APPENDIX.  517 

greater  in  proportion  to  its  breadth  than  in  the  other  American 
species,  by  the  subrhoniboidal  form  of  the  posterior  half,  and 
generally,  by  the  color  of  the  nacre,  though  this  is  not  to  be 
relied  on.  It  appears  to  belong  to  the  genus  Symphynota  of 
Mr.  Lea. 

ALASMODONTA. 

13.  Alasmodonta  complanata,  Barnes.  Symphynota  com- 
PLANATA,  Lea.  Shell  Lake,  River  St.  Croix,  Upper  Mississippi. 
Many  species  of  shells  found  in  this  lake  grow  to  an  extraordinary 
size.  Some  of  the  present  collected  by  Mr.  Schoolcraft,  measure 
nineteen  inches  in  circumference. 

1-1.  Alasmodonta  hugosa,  Barnes.  St.  Croix  River,  and  Lake 
Yaseux,  St.  Mary's  River. 

15.  Alasmodonta  marginata,  Say.  Lake  Vaseux,  St.  Mary's 
River;  very  large. 

16.  Alasmodonta  edentula?  Say.  Anodon  aeeolatus? 
Sicainson.  Lake  Yaseux.  The  specimens  of  this  shell  are  too 
old  and  imperfect  to  be  safely  determined. 

UNIO. 

17.  Unio  tuberculatus,  Barnes.  Painted  Rock,  Upper  Mis- 
sissippi. 

18.  Unio  pustulosus.  Lea.  Upper  Mississippi,  Prairie  du 
Chien,  to  Lake  Pepin. 

19.  Unio  verrucosus,  Barnes,  Lea.  St.  Croix  River  of  the 
Upper  Mississippi. 

20.  Unio  plicatus,  Le  Sueur,  Say.  Prairie  du  Chien,  and 
River  St.  Croix. 

The  specimens  of  U.  plicatus  sent  from  this  locality  by  Mr. 
Schoolcraft  have  the  nacre  beautifully  tinged  with  violet,  near 
the  posterior  border  of  the  shell,  and  are  also  much  more  ventri- 
cose  than  those  found  in  more  eastern  localities,  as  Pittsburg,  for 
example ;  at  the  same  time,  I  believe  them  to  be  of  the  same 
species.  Similar  variations  are  observed  in  other  species;  the 
specimens  from  the  south  and  west  generally  exhibiting  a  greater 
development. 

21.  Unio  trigonus.  Lea.  From  the  same  locality  as  the  last, 
and  like  it  unusually  ventricose. 


518  APPENDIX. 

22.  Unio  ebenus,  Lea.  Upper  Mississippi,  between  Prairie  du 
Chi  en  and  Lake  Pepin. 

23.  Unio  gibbosus,  Barnes.  St.  Croix  Eiver,  Upper  Missis- 
sippi. 

24.  Unio  rectus,  Lamarck.  U.  PR^LONGUS,  Barnes.  Upper 
Mississippi,  from  Prairie  du  Chien  to  Lake  Pepin,  and  the  Eiver 
St.  Croix.  The  specimens  collected  by  Mr.  Schoolcraft,  vary- 
much  in  the  color  of  the  nacre.  Some  have  it  entirely  white, 
others  rose  purple,  and  others  entirely  of  a  very  fine  dark  salmon 
color.  This  species  inhabits  the  St.  Lawrence  as  far  east  as 
Montreal. 

25.  Unio  siliquoideus,  Barnes^  and  U.  INFLATUS,  Barnes. 
Upper  Mississippi,  between  Prairie  du  Chien  and  Lake  Pepin. 
Large,  ponderous,  and  the  epidermis  finely  rayed. 

26.  Unio  complanatus,  Lea.  U.  purpureus,  Say.  Lake 
Vaseux,  St.  Mary's  Eiver.  Lake  Yaseux  is  an  expansion  of  the 
Eiver  St.  Mary,  a  tributary  of  the  upper  lakes.  This  shell  does 
not  appear  to  exist  in  any  of  the  streams  flowing  into  the  Mis- 
sissippi. 

27.  Unio  crassus,  Say.     Upper  Mississippi,  Prairie  du  Chien. 

28.  Unio  radiatus,  Barnes.  Lake  Yaseux.  The  specimen  is 
old  and  imperfect,  but  I  believe  it  to  be  the  U.  radiatus  of  our 
conchologists,  which  is  common  in  Lake  Champlain  and  also  in- 
habits the  St.  Lawrence. 

29.  Unio  occidens,  Lea.  U.  ventricosus,  Say,  Am.  Con.  U. 
ventricosus,  Barnes  ?  "Wisconsin  and  St.  Croix  Elvers,  and  Shell 
Lake.  Epidermis  variously  colored,  and  marked  with  numerous 
rays. 

30.  Unio  ventricosus,  Barnes.  Upper  Mississippi,  from  Prairie 
du  Chien  to  Lake  Pepin  and  Shell  Lake.  The  varieties  of  this, 
and  the  preceding  pass  insensibly  into  each  other.  Those  from 
Shell  Lake  are  of  extraordinary  size. 

31.  Unio  alatus.  Say.  Symphynota  alata.  Lea.  Upper 
Mississippi,  and  Shell  Lake.  Found  also  in  Lake  Champlain,  by 
the  late  Mr.  Barnes. 

32.  Unio  gracilis,  Barnes.  Symphynota  gracilis.  Lea. 
Upper  Mississippi,  and  Shell  Lake.  The  specimens  brought  by 
Mr.  Schoolcraft  are  larger  and  more  beautiful  than  I  have  seen 
from  any  other  locality. 


APPENDIX.  619 

VI. 

BOTANY. 

1.  A  List  of  Species  and  Localities  of  Plants  collected  in  the  North- 
luestern  Expeditions  of  Mr.  Schoolcraft  of  1831  and  1832.  By 
Douglass  Houghton,  M.  D.,  Surgeon  to  the  expeditions. 

Tlie  localities  of  the  following  plants  are  transcribed  from  a 
catalogue  kept  during  the  progress  of  the  expeditions,  and  em- 
brace many  plants  common  to  our  country,  which  were  collected 
barely  for  the  purpose  of  comparison.     A  more  detailed  account 
will  be  published  at  some  future  day. 
Aster  teyiuifoliiis,  Willdenow.     Upper  Mississippi. 
"    sericea,  Nuttall.     River  de  Corbeau,  Missouri  Ter. 
"     Icevis  ?  Willdenow.     St.  Croix  River,  Northwest  Ter. 
"     concolor,  "Willdenow.     Fox  River,  Northwest  Ter. 
"    (iV.  Spec).     Sources  of  Yellow  River,  Northwest  Ter. 
Andropogonfurcatus,  Willdenow.   Sources  of  Yellow  River,  North- 
west Ter. 
Ahpecurus  geniculatus,  Linnaeus.     Sault  Ste.  Marie,  M.  T. 
Aira  flexuosa.     Sault  Ste.  Marie,  M.  T. 

Allium  tricoccuvi,  Alton.     Ontonagon  River  of  Lake  Superior. 
"       cernuum^  Roth.     River  de  Corbeau  to  the  sources  of  the 

Miss. 
"       {N.  Spec).     St.  Lonis  River  of  Lake  Superior. 
Amorpha  canescens,  Nuttall.     Upper  Mississippi. 
Artemisia  canadensis^  Mx.     Lake  Superior  to  the  sources  of  the 
Miss. 
"        sericea,  Nuttall.     Keweena  Point,  Lake  Superior. 
"        gnaphahides,  Nuttall.     Fox  River,  Northwest  Ter. 
Ardbis  hirsuta,  De  Candolle.     Upper  Mississippi. 

"      lyrata,  Linn.     Lake  Superior  to  the  sources  of  the  Miss. 
Arundo  canadensis,  Mx.     Lake  Superior. 
Arenaria  lateriflora,  Linn.     Lake  Superior  to  the  sources  of  the 

Miss. 
Alnus  glauca,  Mx.     St.  Croix  River  to  the  sources  of  the  Miss. 


520  APPENDIX, 

Alliona  alhida^  Walter.     Yellow  Eiver,  Northwest  Ter. 
Arorda  sanguinea.     Lake  Superior  to  the  sources  of  the  Miss. 
Alectoria  juhata.     Lake  Superior  to  the  sources  of  the  Miss. 
Aletris  farinosa.     Prairies  of  Michigan  Ter. 

Bidens  hechil^  Torrey.     St.  Croix  River  to  the  sources  of  the  Miss. 
Bunias  maritima^  "Willdenow.     Lake  Michigan. 
Baptisia  coerulea,  Michaux.     Fox  River,  Northwest  Ter. 
Blitum  capitatum.     Northwest  Ter. 

Betula  papyracea^  Willdenow.     Lake  Superior  to  the  sources  of 
the  Miss. 
"      glandulosa.     Savannah  River,  Northwest  Ter. 
Bartramia  fontana.     Lake  Superior. 
Bromus  canadensis^  Michaux.     Upper  Mississippi. 
Batschia  canescens.     Plains  of  the  Mississippi. 

"  "  Var.  (or  iV.  jSpec).    Lake  Superior. 

Carex  paucifolia.     Sault  Ste.  Marie,  Mich.  Ter. 

"      scirpoides,  Schkuhr.     Sault  Ste.  Marie,  Mich.  Ter. 

"      Umosa,  Linn.     Sault  Ste.  Marie,  Mich.  Ter. 

"     curaia,  Gmelin.     Sault  Ste.  Marie,  Mich.  Ter. 

"      (apparently  iV.  Sjoec.  allied  to  C.  scahrata.)     Sources  of  the 

Miss. 
"      washingtoniana,  Dewy.     Lake  Superior. 
"      lacush'is,  Willdenow.     Lake  Superior. 
"      cedere,  Ehrhart.     Leech  Lake. 

"      logopodioides,  Schkuhr.     Savannah  River,  Northwest  Ter. 
"      rosea^  Var.     Lake  Superior. 

"     festucacea,  Schkuhr.     St.  Louis  River  of  Lake  Superior. 
Cyperus  mariscoides,  Elliott.     Upper  Mississippi. 

"       altemiflorus,  Schwinitz.     River  St.  Clair,  Mich.  Ter. 
Cnicus  pitcheri,  Torrey.     Lakes  Michigan  and  Superior. 
Coreopsis  palmata,  Nuttall.     Prairies  of  the  Upper  Mississippi. 
Cardamine  pratensis.     Lake  Superior  to  the  sources  of  the  Miss. 
Calamagrostis  coajxtata,  Torrey.     Lake  Winnipec. 
Cetraria  icelandica.     Lakes  Superior  and  Michigan. 
Corijdalis  aurea,  Willdenow.     Cass  Lake,  Upper  Mississippi. 

"        glaiica,  Persoon.     Lake  Superior. 
Cynoghssum  amplexicaule,  Michaux.     Sault  Ste.  Marie. 
Cassia  chamcecrista.     Upper  Mississippi. 


APPENDIX.  521 

Conjlus  americana,  "Walter.     Lake  Superior  to  the  sources  of  the 
Miss. 
"     rostrata,  Willdenow.     Lake  Superior  to  the  sources  of  the 
Miss. 
Cistus  canadensis^  Willdenow.     Lake  Superior  to  the  sources  of 

the  Miss. 
Cornus  circiyiata,  L'Heritier.     Lake  Superior  to  the  sources  of  the 

Miss. 
Oyprijjedium  acaule,  Alton.     Lake  Superior  to  the  sources  of  the 

Miss. 
CymUdium  puIcheUum,  Swartz.     Lake  Superior  to  the  sources  of 

the  Miss. 
Corallorhiza  multiflora^  Torrey.     Lake  Superior. 
Convallaria  horealis,  "Willdenow.     Lake  Superior  to  the  sources  of 
the  Mississippi. 

"  trifolia,  Linn.     Lake  Superior. 

Cenchrus  echinatus,  Linn.     Upper  Mississippi. 
Cerastium  viscosiim,  Linn.     Lake  Superior. 

"         oblongifolmm,  Torrey.     Michigan  Ter. 
Camjjanula  acuminata,  Michaux.     St.  Louis  River  of  Lake  Supe- 
rior. 
Ghrysosplenium  oppositifolium.     Lake  Superior  to  the  Mississippi. 
Cinna  arundinacea,  Willdenow.     Upper  Mississippi. 
Drosera  linearis,  Hooker.     Lake  Superior. 

"       rotundifolia.     Lake  Superior  to  the  sources  of  the  Miss, 
"       americana,  Muhlenberg.     Lake  Superior  to  the  sources  of 

the  Miss. 
Dracocephalum  virgmicum,  Willdenow.     Red  Cedar  River,  North- 
west Territory. 
Delphinium  virescens,  Nuttall.     Upper  Mississippi. 
DantJionia  spicata,  Willdenow.     Mauvais  River  of  Lake  Superior. 
Dirca  palustris,  Willdenow.     Ontonagon  River  of  Lake  Superior. 
Equisetwni  limosum,  Torrey.     Lake  Superior. 

"         palustre,  Willdenow.     Lake  Superior. 

"         variegatum,  Smith.     Lake  Michigan. 
Erigeron  integrifolium,  Bigelow.    Falls  of  Peckagaraa,  Upper  Miss. 

"        purpureum,  Willdenow.      Falls  of  Peckagama,   Upper 
]\Iiss. 

"        (iV.  Spec).    Sources  of  St.  Croix  River,  Northwest  Ter. 


522  APPENDIX. 

Erigeron  heterophyllum^  Var,  or  {N.  Spec).     Sources  of  St.  Croix 
Eiver,  Northwest  Ter. 

Eryngium  aquaticum,  Jussieu.     Galena,  111. 

Euphorbia  corollata,  Willdenow.     Eed  Cedar  Eiver. 

Eriophorum  virginicum^  Linn.     Lake  Superior. 
"  alpinum,  Linn.     Lake  Superior. 

"  polystacliyon,  Linn.     Lake  Superior. 

Empetrum  nigrum,  Micbaux.     Lake  Superior. 

Erysimum  cMranthoides,  Linn.     Lake  Superior. 

Eriocaulon  pellucidum,  Michaux.     Lake  Superior. 

Euchroma  coccinea,  Willdenow.     Lake  Superior  to  the  Mississippi. 

Elymus  striatus,  Willdenow.     St.  Croix  Eiver,  Northwest  Ter. 
"       virginicus,  Linn.     St.  Croix  Eiver,  Northwest  Ter. 

Festuca  nutans,  Willdenow.     Lake  Winaipec. 

Glycera  fluitans,  Brown.     Savannah  Eiver,  Northwest  Ter. 

Oyrophora  papulosa.     Lake  Superior. 

Geniiana  crinita,  Willdenow.     Lake  Michigan. 

Geranium  carolinianum.     Lake  Superior  to  the  Mississippi. 

Galium  lanceolaium,  Torrey.     Eed  Cedar  Eiver  to  the  Mississippi. 

Gerardia  pedicularis.     Fox  Eiver,  Northwest  Ter. 
"         maritima,  Eafinesque.     Lake  Michigan. 

Galeopsis  tetrahit,  Yar.     Falls  of  St.  Mary,  Mich.  Ter. 

Gnaphalium  plantaginium,  Var.     Sources  of  the  Mississippi. 

Goody  era  puhescens,  Willdenow.     Lake  Superior. 

Hippophce,  canadensis,  Willdenow.     Lake  'Superior. 
"         argentea,  Pursh.     Lake  Superior. 

Hedeoma  glabra,  Persoon.     Lake  Michigan  to  the  sources  of  the 
Miss. 

Hydropeltis  purpurea,  Michaux.     Northwest  Ter. 

Hippuris  vulgaris.     Yellow  Eiver  to  sources  of  the  Mississippi. 

Hudsonia  tomentosa,  Nuttall.     Lake  Superior. 

Hypericum  canadense.     Lake  Superior. 

"  prolificum,  Willdenow.     Lake  Michigan. 

Hkracium  fasciculatum,  Pursh.     PukwacAva  Lake,  Northwest  Ter. 

Hierochloa  borealis,  Eoemer  &  Schultes.     Lake  Superior. 

Eolcus  lanaius.     Savannah  Eiver,  Northwest  Ter. 

Houstonia  longifolia,  Willdenow.     St.  Louis  Eiver  of  Lake  Supe- 
rior. 

Heuchera  americana,  Linn.     St,  Louis  Eiver  of  Lake  Superior. 


APPENDIX,  523 

Hijpnwn  crista-castrmsis.     Sources  of  the  Mississippi, 
Hordeum  juhatum.     Upper  Ked  Cedar  Lake. 
Helianthus  decapetalis.     Northwest  Ter. 

"         gracilis,  Torrey.     Upper  Lake  St.  Croix,  Northwest 
Ter. 
Hyssopus  anisatus,  Nuttall.     Upper  Mississippi. 

"        scTophularifolius,  Willdenow.     Upper  Mississippi. 
Inula  villosa,  Nuttall.     Upper  Mississippi. 
Ilex  canadensis,  Michaux.     Lake  Superior, 
Juncus  nodosus.     St,  Mary's  Eiver. 

"      polycephalus,  Michaux,     Lake  Superior, 
Kceleria  nitida,  Nuttall,     Lake  Winnipec. 

Lycopodium  dendroideutn,  Michaux.     Lake  Superior  to  the  sources 
of  the  Mississippi. 
"  annotinum,  Willdenow.    Lake  Superior  to  the  sources 

of  the  Mississippi. 
Lonicera  hirsuia,  Eaton.    Lake  Superior  to  the  sources  of  the  Miss. 

"        semp)ervirens,  Alton.     Lake  Superior. 
Lechea  minor.     Upper  Mississippi. 
Linhea  horealis,  Willdenow.     Lake  Superior  to  the  sources  of  the 

Miss. 
Lathyrus  palustris.     Lake  Superior. 

"         decaphyllus,  Pursh.     Leech  Lake. 
"         maritimus,  Bigelow.     Lake  Superior. 
Lobelia  Jcalmii,  Linnseus.     Lake  Superior. 

"       claytoniana,  Michaux.     Upper  Mississippi. 
"      puberulaf  Michaux.     Yellow  Eiver,  Northwest  Ter, 
Liatris  scariosa,  Willdenow.     Upper  Mississippi. 
"      cylindrica,  Michaux.     Upper  Mississippi. 
Lysimachia  revoluta,  Nuttall.     Lake  Superior. 

"  thyrsi/olia,  Michaux.     Lake  Superior. 

Ledum  latifolium,  Alton.     Lake  Superior  to  the  sources  of  the 

Miss. 
Myrica  gale,  Willdenow.     Lake  Superior, 
Malva  {N.  Spec).     Upper  Mississippi. 
Monarda  punctata,  Linnseus.     Upper  Mississippi. 

"        oblongata,  Alton.     Upper  Mississippi. 
Microstylis  ophioglossoides,  Willdenow.     Lac  la  Biche  [Itasca], 
Myriophyllum  spicatum.     Lake  Superior. 


524  APPENDIX. 

Mitella  cordifolia^  Lamarck.     Lake  Superior. 
Menyanthes  trifoliata.     Lake  Superior  to  the  sources  of  the  Miss, 
Myosotis  arvensis,  Sibthorp.     St.  Clair  River,  Mich.  Ter. 
Nelumbium  luteum,  "Willdenow.     Upper  Mississippi. 
(Enothera  biennis,  Yar.     Bois  Brule  River  of  Lake  Superior. 

"         serrulata,  Nuttall.     Upper  Mississippi. 
Psoralea  argophylla,  Pursh.     Falls  of  St.  Anthony. 
Primula  farinosa,  Var.     Americana,  Torrey.     Lakes  Huron  and 
Superior. 
"        r)iistassinica,  Michaux.     Keweena  Point,  Lake  Superior. 
Pingwicula  (iV.  Spec).     Presque  Isle,  Lake  Superior. 
Parnassia  americana,  Muhlenberg.     Lake  Michigan. 
Pedicularis  gladiata,  Michaux.     Fox  River. 
Pinus  nigra,  Lambert.     Lake  Superior. 

"      hanksiana,  Lambert.     Lake  Superior. 
Populus  tremuloicles,  ^lichaux.     Northwest  Ter. 

"        Icevigata,  Willdenow.     Upper  Mississippi. 
Primus  depressa,  Pursh.     Lakes  Superior  and  Michigan. 
Petalostemon  violaceum,  Willdenow.     Upper  Mississippi. 
"  candidum,  AVilldenow.     Upper  Mississippi. 

Potentilla  tridentata,  Alton.     Lake  Superior. 

"        fruticosa,  Linn^us.     Lakes  Superior  and  Michigan. 
Pyrola  unijiora,  Mauvais  River  of  Lake  Superior. 
Polygonum  amphibiian,  Linngeus.     St.  Croix  River. 
"  cilinode,  Michaux.     Lake  Superior. 

"  articulatum,  Linnasus.     Lake  Superior. 

"  coccinium,  Willdenow.     St.  Croix  River. 

Polygala  polygama,  Walter.     Northwest  Ter. 
Phlox  aristata,  Michaux.     Upper  Mississippi. 
Poa  canadensis.     Upper  Mississippi. 
Pentstemon  gracile,  Nuttall.     Upper  Red  Cedar  Lake. 

"  grandifiormn,  Nuttall.     Falls  of  St.  Anthony. 

Physalis  lanceolata,  Var.  (or  H.  Spec).     Lac  la  Biche  [Itasca]. 
Quercus  coccinea,  Wangenheim.     Upper  Red  Cedar  Lake. 

"       obtusiloha,  Michaux.     Upper  Mississippi. 
Ranunculus  filiformis,  Michaux.     Falls  of  St.  Mary,  Mich.  Ter. 
"  pusillus,  Pursh.     Mich.  Ter. 

"  prostratus,  Lamarck.  Lake  Superior  to  the  Mississippi. 

"  lacustris,  Beck  k  Tracy.     Upper  Mississippi. 


APPENDIX.  525 

Rudheckia  hirta,  Linnaeus.     Upper  Mississippi  and  Michigan  Ter. 

"         digiiaia,  Aiton.     Upper  Mississippi. 
JRxihis 2'>arviJlorus,  Nuttall.     Lake  Superior  to  the  sources  of  the 
Miss. 
"      hi32)idus,  Linnaeus.     Lake  Superior. 
"      saxatilis,  Var.  canadensis,  Michaux.     Lake  Superior. 
Bosa  gemella,  Willdenow.     Lake  Superior. 

"     ruhifolia,  Brown.     Michigan  Ter. 
Bihes  alhinervum,  Michaux.     Sources  of  the  St.  Croix  Eiver. 
Saururus  cemuus,  Linnaeus.     Upper  Mississippi. 
/Strejptojms  roseus,  Michaux.     Lake  Superior. 
/Sisymbrium  brachycarpum,  Eichardson.     Lake  Superior. 

"  chiranthoides,  Linnaeus.     Lake  Superior. 

Sicertia  defiexa,  Smith.     Bois  Brul^  Eiver  of  Lake  Superior. 
Silphium  terebinthinaceum,  Elliott.   Michigan  Territory  to  the  Miss. 

"        gummiferum.     Fox  Eiver  to  the  Mississippi. 
Stachys  aspera,  Var.  Michaux.     Lake  Superior. 
Sterocauhn  paschale.     Lake  Superior. 
Struthiopteris  pennsylvanica,  Willdenow.     Lake  Superior. 
Scirpusfrigetur?     Lake  of  the  Isles,  Northwest  Ter. 

"      palustris,  Linnaeus.     Lake  Superior  to  the  Mississippi. 
Salix  prinoides,  Pursh.     Mauvais  Eiver  of  Lake  Superior. 

"     longifolia,  Muhlenberg.     Upper  Mississippi. 
Spircea  opuUfolia,  Var.  tomentella,  De  Candolle.     Lake  Superior. 
Sorbus  americana,  Willdenow.     Lake  Huron  to  the  head  of  Lake 

Superior. 
Smilax  rotundifolia^  Linnaeus.     Lake  Superior  to  the  Mississippi. 
Silene  antirrhina,  Linnaeus.     Lac  la  Biche. 
Saxifraga  virginiensis,  Michaux.     Lake  Superior. 
Scutellaria  ambigua,  Nuttall.     Upper  Mississippi. 
Solidago  virgaurea,  Yar.  alpina.     Lake  Superior. 
StijMJuncea,  Nuttall.     Usawa  E. 

Symphora  racemosa,  Michaux.     Source  of  the  Miss.  E. 
Senecio  balsamitcB,  Var.     Falls  of  Peckagama,  Upper  Miss. 
Sagittaria  heterophylla,  Pursh.     Upper  Miss. 
Tanacetum  huronensis,  Nuttall.     Lakes  Michigan  and  Superior. 
Tussilago  palmata,  Willdenow.     Lake  Michigan. 
Tofeldia  pubens,  Michaux.     Lake  Superior. 
Triglochin  maritimum,  Linnaeus.     Lake  Superior. 


526  APPENDIX. 

Thalyctrum  corynellum,  De  Candolle.     St.  Louis  River. 

Triticum  repens^  Linn^us.     Leech  Lake. 

Troximon  virginicum^  Pursh.     Lake  Winnipec. 

Talinum  teretifolium^  Pursh.     St.  Croix  River. 

Tradescantia  virginica.     Upper  Mississippi. 

Utricularia  comuta,  Michaux.     Lake  Superior. 

"  purpurea^  AValter.     Lac  Chetac,  N.  "W.  Ter. 

Uraspermum  canadense^  Lake  Superior  to  the  Miss. 

Viola  lanceolata^  Linnseus.     Sault  Ste.  Marie. 
"     pedata,  Var.  (or  N.  Spec).   Lac  la  Biche,  sources  of  the  Miss. 

Viburnum  oxycoccus^  Pursh.     Lake  Superior. 
"  lentago.     Lake  Superior. 

Vernonia  Tiovoboracensis,  Willdenow.     Upper  Miss. 

Verbena  bracteosa,  Michaux.     Upper  Miss. 
"       stricta,  Yentenat.     Upper  Miss. 

Zapania  nodiflora,  Michaux.     Galena,  Illinois. 

Zigadeyius  chloranthus^  Richardson.     Sandy  shores  of  Lake  Michi- 
gan. 

Zizania  aquatica,  Pursh.     Illinois  to  the  sources  of  the  Miss. 


VII. 


MINEEALOGY  AND  GEOLOGY. 

1 .  A  Report  on  the  Existence  of  Deposits  of  Copper  in  the  Geological 
Basin  of  Lake  Superior.     By  Dr.  D.  Houghton. 

Fredonia,  N.  Y.,  November  14,  1831. 

Sir  :  In  fulfilment  of  the  duties  assigned  to  me  in  the  late  ex- 
pedition into  the  Indian  country,  under  the  direction  of  H.  R. 
Schoolcraft,  Esq.,  Indian  Agent,  I  would  beg  leave  to  transmit 
to  you  the  following  observations  relative  to  the  existence  of 
copper  in  the  country  bordering  on  the  southern  shore  of  Lake 
Superior. 

It  is  without  doubt  true  that  this  subject  has  long  been  viewed 
with  an  interest  far  beyond  its  actual  merit.  Each  mass  of  native 
copper  which  this  country  has  produced,  however  insulated,  or 
however  it  may  have  been  separated  from  its  original  position, 
appears  to  have  been  considered  a  sure  indication  of  the  existence 


APPENDIX.  527 

of  tliat  metal  in  beds ;  and  hence  we  occasionally  see,  upon  maps 
of  that  section  of  our  country,  particular  portions  marked  as  con- 
taining "copper  mines,"  where  no  copper  now  exists.  But,  while 
it  is  certain  that  a  combination  of  circumstances  has  served  to 
mislead  the  public  mind  with  regard  to  the  geological  situation 
and  existing  quantity  of  that  metal,  it  is  no  less  certain  that  a 
greater  quantity  of  insulated  native  copper  has  been  discovered 
upon  the  borders  of  Lake  Superior,  than  in  any  other  equal  por- 
tion of  North  America. 

Among  the  masses  of  native  copper  which  have  engaged  the 
attention  of  travellers  in  this  section  of  country,  one,  which  from 
its  great  size  was  early  noticed,  is  situated  on  the  Ontonagon 
Eiver,  a  stream  which  empties  its  waters  into  the  southern  part 
of  Lake  Superior,  831  miles  above  the  Falls  of  the  Ste.  Marie. 
The  Ontonagon  Eiver  is,  with  some  difficulty,  navigable  by  bat- 
teaux  36  miles,  at  which  place,  by  the  union  of  two  smaller 
streams — one  from  an  easterly  and  the  other  from  a  westerly 
direction — the  main  stream  is  formed.  The  mass  of  copper  is 
situated  on  the  western  fork,  at  a  distance  of  six  or  eight  miles 
from  the  junction. 

The  face  of  the  country  through  the  upper  half  of  the  distance 
from  Lake  Superior  is  uneven,  and  the  irregularity  is  given  it  by 
hills  of  marly  clay,  which  occasionally  rise  quite  abruptly  to  the 
height  of  one  or  two  hundred  feet.  No  rock  was  observed  in 
sitUj  except  in  one  place,  where,  for  a -distance,  the  red  sandstone 
was  observed,  forming  the  bed  of  the  river. 

The  mass  of  copper  lies,  partly  covered  by  water,  directly  at 
the  foot  of  a  clay  hill,  from  which,  together  with  numerous 
boulders  of  the  primitive  rocks,  it  has  undoubtedly  been  washed 
by  the  action  of  the  water  of  the  river.  Although  it  is  completely 
insulated,  there  is  much  to  interest  in  its  examination.  Its  largest 
surface  measures  three  and  a  half  by  four  feet,  and  this,  which  is 
of  malleable  copper,  is  kept  bright  by  the  action  of  the  water, 
and  has  the  usual  appearance  of  that  metal  when  worn.  To  one 
surface  is  attached  a  small  quantity  of  rock,  singularly  bound 
together  by  threads  of  copper,  which  pass  through  it  in  all  direc- 
tions. This  rock,  although  many  of  its  distinctive  characters  are 
lost,  is  evidently  a  dark  colored  serpentine,  with  small  interspersed 
masses  of  milky  quartz. 


528  APPENDIX. 

The  mass  of  copper  is  so  situated  as  to  afford  but  little  that 
would  enable  us  to  judge  of  its  original  geological  position.  In 
examining  the  eastern  fork  of  the  river,  I  discovered  small  water- 
worn  masses  of  trap-rock,  in  which  were  specks  of  imbedded 
carbonate  of  copper  and  copper  black ;  and  with  them  were  occa- 
sionally associated  minute  specks  of  serpentine,  in  some  respects 
resembling  that  which  is  attached  to  the  large  mass  of  copper ; 
and  facts  would  lead  us  to  infer  that  the  trap  formation  which 
appears  on  Lake  Superior  east  of  the  Ontonagon  River,  crosses 
this  section  of  country  at  or  near  the  source  of  that  river,  and  at 
length  forms  one  of  the  spurs  of  the  Porcupine  Mountains. 

Several  smaller  masses  of  insulated  native  copper  have  been 
discovered  on  the  borders  of  Lake  Superior,  but  that  upon  On- 
tonagon River  is  the  only  one  which  is  now  known  to  remain. 

At  as  early  a  period  as  before  the  American  Revolution,  an 
English  mining  company  directed  their  operations  to  the  country 
bordering  on  Lake  Superior,  and  Ontonagon  River  was  one  point 
to  which  their  attention  was  immediately  directed.  Traces  of  a 
shaft,  sunk  in  the  clay  hill,  near  a  mass  of  copper,  are  still  visi- 
ble— a  memento  of  ignorance  and  folly. 

Operations  were  also  commenced  on  the  southern  shore  of  Lake 
Superior,  near  the  mouth  of  a  small  stream,  which,  from  that 
circumstance,  is  called  Miners'  River.  Parts  of  the  names  of  the 
miners,  carved  upon  the  sandstone  rock  at  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
are  still  visible.  What  circumstance  led  to  the  selection  of  this 
spot  does  not  now  appear.  No  mineral  traces  are  at  this  day 
perceptible,  except  occasional  discolorations  of  the  sandstone  rock 
by  what  is  apparently  a  mixture  of  the  carbonates  of  iron  and 
copper ;  and  this  is  only  to  be  observed  where  water,  holding  in 
solution  an  extremely  minute  portion  of  these  salts,  has  trickled 
slowly  over  those  rocks.  • 

It  does  not,  in  fact,  appear  that  the  red  sandstone,  which  con- 
stitutes the  principal  rock  formation  of  the  southern  shore  of 
Lake  Superior,  is  in  any  instance  metalliferous  in  any  considera- 
ble degree.  If  this  be  true,  it  would  require  but  little  reflection 
to  convince  one  of  the  inexpediency  of  conducting  mining  opera- 
tions at  either  of  the  points  selected  for  that  purpose;  and  it  is 
beyond  a  doubt  true,  that  the  company  did  not  receive  the  least 
inducement  to  continue  their  labors. 


APPENDIX.  529 

In  addition  to  these  masses  of  native  copper,  an  ore  of  that 
metal  has  long  been  known  to  the  lake  traders  as  the  green  rock, 
in  which  the  characteristic  substances  are  the  green  and  blue  car- 
bonates of  copper,  accompanied  by  copper  black.  It  is  situated 
upon  Keweena  Point,  280  miles  above  the  falls  of  the  Ste.  Marie. 
The  ore  is  embraced  by  what  is  apparently  a  recently  formed 
crag;  and,  although  it  is  of  a  kind  and  so  situated  as  to  make  an 
imposing  appearance,  there  is  little  certainty  of  its  existence  in 
large  quantities  in  this  formation.  The  ore  forms  a  thin  cover- 
ing to  the  pebbles  of  which  the  body  of  the  rock  is  composed, 
and  is  rarely  observed  in  masses  separate  from  it.  The  crag  is 
composed  of  angular  fragments  of  trap-rock,  and  the  formation  is 
occasionally  traversed  by  broad  and  continuous  belts  of  calc.  spar, 
here  and  there  tinged  with  copper.  Although  the  ore  was  not 
observed  in  any  considerable  quantity,  except  at  one  point,  it 
apparently  exists  in  minute  specks  through  a  greater  part  of  the 
crag  formation,  which  extends  several  miles,  forming  the  shore 
of  the  lake. 

This  examination  of  the  crag  threw  new  interest  upon  the  trap 
formation,  which  had  been  first  observed  to  take  the  place  of  the 
sandstone  at  the  bottom  of  a  deep  bay,  called  Montreal  Bay,  on 
the  easterly  side  of  Keweena  Point.  The  trap-rock  continues  for 
a  few  miles,  when  the  crag  before  noticed  appears  to  lie  directly 
upon  it,  and  to  form  the  extremity  of  the  point ;  the  crag,  in  turn, 
disappears,  and  the  trap-rock  is  continued  for  a  distance  of  six  or 
eight  miles  upon  the  westerly  side  of  the  point,  when  the  sand- 
stone again  reappears. 

The  trap-rock  is  of  a  compact  granular  texture,  occasionally 
running  into  the  amygdaloid  and  toadstone  varieties,  and  is  rich 
in  imbedded  minerals,  such  as  amethystine  quartz,  smoky  quartz, 
carnelian,  chalcedony,  agate,  &c.,  together  with  several  of  the  ores 
of  copper.  Traces  of  copper  ore  in  the  trap-rock  were  first 
noticed  on  the  easterly  side  of  Keweena  Point,  and  near  the  com- 
mencement of  the  trap  formation.  This  ore,  which  is  an  impure 
copper  black,  was  observed  in  a  vein  of  variable  thickness,  but 
not  in  any  part  exceeding  two  and  a  half  inches.  It  is  sufficiently 
compact  and  hard  to  receive  a  firm  polish,  but  it  is  rather  disposed 
to  break  into  small  irregular  masses.  A  specimen  furnished, 
upon  analysis,  47.5  per  cent,  of  pure  copper. 
34 


530  APPENDIX. 

On  the  western  side  of  Keweena  Point,  the  same  ore  appears 
under  different  circumstances,  being  disseminated  through  the 
body  of  the  trap-rock,  in  grains  varying  in  size  from  a  pin's  head 
to  a  pea.  Although  many  of  these  grains  are  wholly  copper  black, 
they  are  occasionally  only  depositions  of  the  mineral  upon  specks 
of  carnelian,  chalcedony,  or  agate,  or  are  more  frequently  com- 
posed, in  part,  of  what  is  apparently  an  imperfect  steatite.  The 
ore  is  so  connected  with,  and  so  much  resembles  in  color  the 
rock,  of  which  it  may  be  said  to  be  a  constituent  part,  that  they 
might  easily,  during  a  hasty  examination,  be  confounded.  A 
random  specimen  of  the  rock  furnished,  upon  analysis,  3.2  per 
cent,  of  pure  copper.  The  rock  continues  combined  with  that 
mineral  for  nearly  the  space  of  three  miles.  Extremely  thin  veins 
of  copper  black  were  observed  to  traverse  this  same  rock ;  and 
in  enlargements  of  these  were  discovered  several  masses  of  amor- 
phous native  copper.  The  latter  mineral  appeared  in  two  forms 
— the  one  consisting  of  compact  and  malleable  masses,  varying 
from  four  to  ten  ounces  each ;  and  the  other,  of  specks  and  fasciculi 
of  pure  copper,  binding  together  confused  masses  of  copper  green, 
and  partially  disintegrated  trap-rock ;  the  latter  was  of  several 
pounds'  weight.  Each  variety  was  closely  embraced  by  the  rock, 
although  the  action  of  the  water  upon  the  rock  had  occasionally 
exposed  to  view  points  of  the  metal.  In  addition  to  the  accom- 
panying copper  green,  which  was  in  a  disintegrated  state,  small 
specks  of  the  oxide  of  copper  were  associated  in  most  of  the  native 
specimens. 

Circumstances  would  not  permit  an  examination  of  any  portion 
of  the  trap  formation,  except  that  bordering  directly  upon  the  lake. 
But  facts  would  lead  us  to  infer  that  that  formation  extends  from 
one  side  of  Keweena  Point  to  the  other,  and  that  a  range  of  thickly 
wooded  hills,  which  traverses  the  point,  is  based  upon,  if  not  formed 
of  that  rock.  An  Indian  information,  which,  particularly  upon  such 
a  subject,  must  be  adopted  with  caution,  would  sanction  the  opinion 
that  the  prominent  constituents  are  the  same  wherever  the  rock  is 
observed. 

After  having  duly  considered  the  facts  which  are  presented,  I 
would  not  hesitate  to  offer,  as  an  opinion,  that  the  trap-rock  forma- 
tion was  the  original  source  of  the  masses  of  copper  which  have 
been  observed  in  the  country  bordering  on  Lake  Superior ;  and 


APPENDIX.  531 

that,  at  the  present  day,  examinations  for  the  ores  of  copper  could 
not  be  made  in  that  country  with  hopes  of  success,  except  in  the 
trap-rock  itself;  which  rock  is  not  certainly  known  to  exist  upon 
any  place  upon  Lake  Superior,  other  than  Keweena  Point. 

If  this  opinion  be  a  correct  one,  the  cause  of  failure  of  the 
mining  company  in  this  region  is  rendered  plain.  Having  con- 
sidered each  insulated  mass  of  pure  metal  as  a  true  indication  of 
the  existence  of  a  bed  in  the  vicinity,  operations  were  directed  to 
wrong  points ;  when,  having  failed  to  realize  their  anticipations, 
the  project  was  abandoned  without  further  actual  investigation. 
We  would  be  induced  to  infer  that  no  attempts  were  made  to 
learn  the  original  source  of  the  metal  which  was  discovered,  and 
thus,  while  the  attention  was  drawn  to  insulated  masses,  the  ores, 
ordinary  in  appearance,  but  more  important  iyi  situ^  were  neglected ; 
and  perhaps,  from  the  close  analogy  in  appearance  to  the  rock  with 
which  they  were  associated,  no  distinction  was  observed. 

What  quantity  of  ore  the  trap-rock  of  Keweena  Point  may  be 
capable  of  producing,  can  only  be  determined  by  minute  and 
laborious  examination.  The  indications  which  were  presented 
by  a  hasty  investigation  are  here  embodied,  and  with  deference 
submitted  to  your  consideration. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be. 

Sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

DOUGLASS  HOUGHTON. 

Hon.  Lewis  Cass,  Secretary  of  War. 


2.  BemarJcs  on  the  Occurrence  of  Native  Silver  and  Ores  of  Silver 
in  the  Stratification  of  the  Basins  of  LaJces  Huron  and  Superior. 
By  Henry  R.  Schoolcraft. 

Traces  of  this  metal  which  have  been  found  in  the  drift  and 
boulder  stratum  of  both  Lakes  Huron  and  Superior,  indicate  the 
existence  of  the  metal  in  place.  During  my  residence  at  St.  Mary's, 
two  specimens  of  its  occurrence  were  brought  to  my  notice.  The 
first  of  these  consisted  of  points  of  native  silver  in  a  moderately 
large  mass  of  native  copper,  found  in  1823,  near  the  entrance  of 
the  Nama  or  Sturgeon  River  into  Keweena  Lake,  of  the  large 
peninsula  of  that  name,  in  Lake  Superior.     Like  the  majority  of 


532  APPENDIX. 

such  masses  of  tlie  region,  it  had  no  adhering  portion  of  rock  or 
vein  stone,  from  which  a  judgment  might  be  formed  of  its  origi- 
nal position. 

I  had,  the  prior  year,  set  up  my  mineralogical  cabinet  in  my 
office,  and  stated  to  the  Indians,  who  roved  over  large  tracts,  my 
solicitude  to  collect  specimens  of  the  mineral  productions  of  the 
country  of  every  description,  and,  indeed,  of  its  zoology,  always 
acknowledging  their  comity,  in  bringing  me  specimens  in  any 
department  of  natural  history,  by  some  small  present ;  and  I 
found  this  to  be  a  means  of  extending  my  inquiries. 

Subsequently,  I  received  a  boulder  specimen  from  the  shores  of 
Lake  Huron,  containing  veins  of  native  silver.  Part  of  the 
metal  had  been  detached.  I  submitted  these  specimens  to  the 
Lyceum  of  Natural  History  at  New  York,  in  1825,  The  follow- 
ing remarks  are  taken  from  their  annals. 

Mineralogical  and  Chemical  Characters. — By  examining  this  mine- 
ral, it  will  be  perceived  to  possess  the  color,  lustre,  malleability, 
and  other  obvious  characters  of  native  silver.  It  is  so  soft  as  to  be 
easily  cut  by  the  knife ;  and  in  a  state  of.  purity  which  permits  it 
to  spread  under  the  hammer.  These  characters  serve  to  distin- 
guish it  from  antiraonial  silver,  which  is  not  malleable ;  from  native 
antimony  which  tarnishes  on  exposure,  &c.  The  metal  occurs  in 
thin,  massive  veins  in  the  rock.  These  veins  sometimes  intersect, 
but  never  cross  each  other.  It  is  also  disseminated  in  small  par- 
ticles through  the  stone,  or  spread  in  flattened  masses  over  its 
surface.  Some  of  these  masses  were  detached  by  the  discoverer, 
but  have  been  preserved,  and  are  presented  to  the  Lyceum  with 
the  more  solid  and  undisturbed  portions. 

By  submitting  a  small  portion  of  the  metal  to  the  action  of 
nitric  acid,  I  obtained  an  imperfect  solution.  On  repeating  the 
experiment,  and  adding  a  little  sulphuric  acid,  the  action  was  more 
brisk,  and  a  clear  and  apparently  perfect  solution  effected.  By 
standing,  however,  a  pulpy,  white  precipitate  appeared  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  glass.  This  was  collected  and  submitted  to  the  action 
of  the  blowpipe,  on  a  basis  of  charcoal.  The  result  gave  a  num- 
ber of  minute,  metallic  globules,  possessing  greater  lustre,  mallea- 
bility, and  ductility,  than  the  original  mass.  I  repeated  the  latter 
experiment,  adding  to  the  nitro-sulphuric  solution  muriate  of  soda. 
A  more  perfect  precipitation  of  the  white  powder  was  effected : 
but  the  results  with  the  blowpipe  remained  the  same. 


APPENDIX.  533 

Geognoslic  Position. — It  is  a  rolled  mass.  An  opinion  of  the 
specific  character  of  the  rock  may  be  dubious,  from  the  smallness 
of  the  specimen.  It  appears  to  have  been  detached  from  a  stra- 
tum of  gneiss,  and  is  essentially  composed  of  quartz.  The  black- 
ish color  of  some  parts  of  this  latter  mineral  would,  at  first  glance, 
lead  us  to  attribute  this  color  to  the  presence  of  hornblende ;  but, 
on  closer  examination,  it  will  be  perceived  to  be  owing  to  a  dark- 
colored  steatite,  which,  in  certain  parts  of  the  rock,  is  well  de- 
veloped, soft,  and  easily  cut.  A  little  calcspar  is  iDtermingled 
with  the  steatite. 

Locality. — I  am  indebted  to  the  politeness  of  Lieut.  Lewis  S. 
Johnston,  of  the  British  Indian  Department,  at  Maiden  (U.  C), 
for  the  opportunity  of  adding  this  specimen  to  the  mineralogical 
cabinet  of  the  Lyceum.  This  gentleman,  as  he  informed  me,  ob- 
tained it  from  an  Indian,  who  picked  it  up  on  the  southeastern 
shores  of  Lake  Huron,  near  Point  aux  Barques,  in  Michigan 
Territory,  That  part  of  Lake  Huron  was  cursorily  examined  by 
me,  in  the  year  1820,  in  the  course  of  the  expedition  conducted 
by  Gov.  Cass,  through  the  upper  lakes,  &c.  I  consider  it  re- 
markable, even  in  a  region  abounding  in  rolled  rocks,  for  the 
great  number  and  variety  of  granite,  gneiss,  hornblende,  and  trap 
boulders,  scattered  along  the  shores  of  the  lake.  The  water  here 
is  generally  shallow  and  dangerous  to  approach  in  vessels ;  these 
boulder  stones  sometimes  extending  and  presenting  themselves 
above  water  for  a  mile  or  more  from  land.  But  we  could  not 
satisfy  ourselves  by  an  examination  necessarily  partial,  that  either 
of  the  primitive  species  mentioned,  existed  there  in  any  other 
condition  than  as  rolled  masses,  or  displacements  of  rock  strata, 
contiguous,  perhaps,  but  not  observed.  Dr.  Bigsby  has  informed 
me,  that  he  observed  the  gneiss  in  situ,  on  the  northwestern  shores 
of  this  lake.  The  nearest  rock  in  place,  and  that  which  in  fact 
constitutes  the  abraded  and  caverned  promontory  of  Point  aux 
Barques,  is  gray  sandstone. 

The  occurrence  of  this  metal  in  the  copper-bearing  and  other 
metalliferous  rocks  of  this  region,  may  be  confidently  afiirmed.'^' 

^  At  tlie  date  of  this  publication,  it  is  known  that  this  metal  occurs,  both  as  a 
constituent  of  the  mass  copper  in  Lake  Superior,  and  is  also  developed  in  reins  in 
tlie  stratification. 


534  APPENDIX. 


3.  A  General  Summary  of  the  Localities  of  Minerals  ohserved  in  the 
Northwest  in  1831  and  1832.    By  Henry  E.  Schoolcraft. 

CLASS  I.     Bodies  not  metallic,  containing  an  acid. 

1.  Calcareous  spar.  Keweena  Point,  Lake  Superior.  Im- 
bedded in  small  globular  masses,  in  the  trap-rock ;  also  forming 
veins  in  the  same  formation.  Some  of  the  masses  break  into 
rhombic  forms,  and  possess  a  certain  but  not  perfect  degree  of 
transparency ;  others  are  opaque,  or  discolored  by  the  green  car- 
bonate of  copper.  Also  in  the  trap-rock  between  Fond  du  Lac 
and  Old  Grand  Portage,  Lake  Superior,  in  perfect,  transparent 
rhombs,  exhibiting  the  property  of  double  refraction.  Also,  at 
the  lead  mines,  in  Iowa  County,  in  the  marly  clay  formation,  often 
exhibiting  imperfect  prisms,  variously  truncated. 

2.  Calcareous  tufa.  Mouth  of  the  Eiver  BruM,  of  Lake 
Superior.  In  small,  friable,  broken  masses,  in  the  diluvial  soil. 
Also,  in  the  gorge  below  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony.  In  detached, 
vesicular  masses,  amidst  debris. 

3.  Compact  carbonate  of  lime.  In  the  calcareous  cliffs  of 
horizontal  formation,  commencing  at  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony. 
Carboniferous. 

4.  Septaria.  In  the  reddish  clay  soil,  between  Montreal  Eiver 
and  Lapointe,  Lake  Superior. 

5.  Gypsum.  In  the  sandstone  rock  at  the  Point  of  Grand  Sable 
"West,  Lake  Superior.  In  orbicular  masses,  firmly  imbedded. 
Not  abundant.     Granular,  also  imperfectly  foliated. 

6.  Carbonate  of  magnesia.  Serpentine  rock,  at  Presque  Isle, 
Lake  Superior.     Compact. 

7.  Hydrate  of  magnesia  ?     With  the  preceding. 

CLASS  II.     Earthy  compounds,  amorphous  or  crystalline. 

8.  Common  quartz.  Huron  Islands,  Lake  Superior;  also  the 
adjoining  coast.     In  very  large  veins  or  beds.     "White,  opaque. 

9.  Granular  quartz.  Falls  of  Peckagama,  Upper  Missis- 
sippi.    In  situ. 

10.  Smoky  quartz.  In  the  trap-rock,  Keweena  Point,  Lake 
Superior,  crystallized.     In  connection  with  amethystine  quartz. 


APPENDIX.  535 

11.  Amethyst.  "With  the  preceding.  Also,  at  tlie  Pic  Bay, 
and  at  Gargontwa,  north  shore  of  Lake  Superior,  in  the  trap-rock, 
in  perfect  crystals,  of  various  intensity  of  color. 

12.  Chalcedony.  Keweena  Point,  Lake  Superior.  In  globu- 
lar or  orbicular  masses,  in  amygdaloid  rock.  Often,  in  detached 
masses  along  the  shores. 

13.  Carnelian.     With  the  preceding. 

14.  HoRNSTONE.  In  detached  masses,  very  hard,  on  the  shores 
of  Lake  Superior.  Also,  at  Dodgeville,  Iowa  County,  Mich.  Ter., 
in  fragments  or  nodular  masses  in  the  clay  soil. 

15.  Jasper.  In  the  preceding  locality.  Common  and  striped, 
exceedingly  difficult  of  being  acted  on  by  the  wheel.  Not  ob- 
served in  situ. 

16.  Agate.  Imbedded  in  the  trap-rocks  of  Lake  Superior, 
and  also  detached,  forming  a  constituent  of  its  detritus.  Vari- 
ously colored.  Often  made  up  of  alternate  layers  of  chalcedony, 
carnelian,  and  cacholong.  Sometimes  zoned,  or  in  fortification 
points.  Specimens  not  taken  from  the  rock  are  not  capable  of 
being  scratched  by  quartz  or  flint,  and  are  incapable  of  being 
acted  on  by  the  file ;  consequently,  harder  than  any  of  the  described 
species. 

17.  Cyanite.  Specimens  of  this  mineral,  in  flat,  six-sided 
prisms,  imbedded  in  a  dark  primitive  rock,  were  brought  out 
from  Lac  du  Flambeau  outlet,  where  the  rock  is  described  as 
existing  in  situ.  The  locality  has  not  been  visited,  but  there  are 
facts  brought  to  light,  within  the  last  two  or  three  years,  to  justify 
the  extension  of  the  primitive  to  that  section  of  country. 

18.  Pitchstone.  a  detached  mass  of  this  mineral,  very  black 
and  lava-like,  was  picked  up  in  the  region  of  Lake  Superior, 
where  the  volcanic  mineral,  trachyte,  is  common  among  the  rolled 
masses.     Neither  of  these  substances  have  been  observed  in  situ. 

19.  Mica.     Huron  Islands,  Lake  Superior.     In  granite. 

20.  Schorl.  Common.  Outlet  of  Lac  du  Flambeau.  Also, 
in  a  detached  mass  of  primitive  rock  at  Green  Bay. 

21.  Feldspar.     Porcupine  mountains.  Lake  Superior. 

22.  Basalt.     Amorphous.     Granite  Point,  Lake  Superior. 

23.  Stilbite.  Amygdaloid  rock,  Keweena  Point,  Lake  Supe- 
rior. 

24.  Zeolite.    Mealy.    With  the  preceding. 


536  APPENDIX. 

25.  Zeolite.  Kadiated.  Lake  Superior.  This  mineral  con- 
sists of  fibres,  so  delicate  and  firmly  united  as  to  appear  almost 
compact,  radiating  from  a  centre.  Some  of  the  masses  produced 
by  this  radiation  measure  2.5  inches  in  diameter.  They  are  of  a 
uniform,  pale,  yellowish  red.  This  mineral  has  not  been  traced 
in  situ,  being  found  in  detached  masses  of  rock,  and  sometimes 
as  water-worn  portions  of  radii.  Its  true  position  would  seem  to 
be  the  trap -rock. 

26.  AsBESTUS.  Presque  Isle,  Lake  Superior.  In  the  serpentine 
formation. 

27.  HoENBLENDE.  Yery  abundant  as  a  constituent  of  the  pri- 
mitive rocks  on  the  L'pper  Mississippi,  and  in  the  basin  of  Lake 
Superior.     Often  in  distinct  crystals. 

28.  DiALLAGE,  GREEN.  Lake  Superior.  In  detached  masses, 
connected  with  primitive  boulders.     Harder  than  the  species. 

29.  Serpentine,  common.     Presque  Isle,  Lake  Superior. 

30.  Serpentine,  precious.  With  the  preceding.  Color,  a 
light  pistachio  green,  and  takes  a  fine  polish.  Exists  in  veins  in 
the  common  variety, 

31.  PsEUDOMORPHOus  serpentine.  With  the  preceding.  This 
beautiful  green  mineral  constitutes  a  portion  of  the  veins  of  the 
precious  serpentine.    Its  crystalline  impressions  are  very  distinct. 

32.  Argillite,  Eiver  St.  Louis,  northwest  of  Lake  Superior. 
Nearly  vertical  in  its  position, 

CLASS  III.   Combustibles. 

33.  Peat.  Marine  sand  formation  composing  the  shore  of  Lake 
Superior,  between  White-fish  Point  and  Grand  Marrais.  Also, 
on  the  island  of  Michilimackinac. 

CLASS  lY.     Ores  and  Metals. 

34.  Native  copper.  West  side  of  Keweena  Point,  Lake  Su- 
perior, Imbedded  in  a  vein  with  carbonate  of  copper,  and  copper 
black,  in  the  trap-rock, 

35.  Copper  black.     With  the  preceding. 

86.  Carbonate  of  copper,  green.     With  the  preceding. 

These  two  minerals  (35  and  36)  characterize  the  trap-rock  of 
the  peninsula  of  Keweena,  Lake  Superior,  from  Montreal  Bay, 
extending  to  and  around  its  extremity,  west,  to  Sand-hill  Bay. 


APPENDIX.  537 

The  entire  area  may  be  estimated  to  comprise  a  rocky,  serrated 
coast  of  about  seventy-five  miles  in  length,  and  not  to  exceed 
seven  or  eight  miles  in  width.  The  principal  veins  arc  at  a  point 
called  Eochc  Verd,  and  along  the  coast  which  we  refer  to  as  the 
Black  Eocks.  At  the  latter,  native  copper  is  one  of  the  constitu- 
ents of  the  vein. 

Green  and  blue  carbonate  of  copper  was  also  observed  in  limited 
quantity,  in  small  rounded  masses,  at  one  of  the  lead  diggings 
near  Mineral  Point,  Iowa  County. 

87.  Cheomate  of  iron.     Presque  Isle,  Lake  Superior. 

38.  SuLPHURET  OF  LEAD.  Lead  mines  of  Iowa  County,  Michi- 
gan Territor}^. 

39.  Earthy  carbonate  of  lead.  Brigham's  mine,  Iowa 
County,  Mich.  Ter.  Also,  in  small  masses,  of  a  yellowish  white, 
dirty  color,  and  great  comparative  weight,  at  several  of  the  lead 
mines  (diggings)  in  the  more  westerly  and  southern  parts  of  the 
county. 


4.   Geological  Outline  of  the  Taquimenon   Valley  of  Lahc  Superior. 
By  Henry  E.  Schoolcraft. 

The  Eiver  Takquimenon  originates  on  a  plateau  between  the 
northern  shores  of  Lake  Michic-an  and  the  southeastern  coast  of 
Lake  Superior.  At  a  central  point  on  this  plateau,  there  lies  a 
lake  of  moderate  size,  which,  in  the  translated  Indian  phrase,  is 
called  Heartsblood  Lake.  A  little  to  the  west  of  this  lake,  and, 
perhaps,  connected  with  it,  originates  the  head  stream  of  the 
North  Manistic  Eiver  of  Lake  Michigan,  running  southwest. 
Towards  the  northeast  the  Takwymenon  takes  its  way,  winding 
through  level  grassy  plains,  till  it  reaches  the  rim  of  the  geo- 
logical basin  that  circumscribes  Lake  Superior.  The  height  of 
this  point  is  conjectural.  It  is  probably  one  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  lake. 

To  comprehend  the  geography  of  the  region,  it  is  necessary  to 
advert  to  the  fact  that  the  sandstone  formation,  which  appears  in 
the  picturesque  form  of  the  Pictured  Eocks,  is  last  seen  in  its 
range  eastward  at  La  Pointe  des  Grrande  Sable,  where  its  surface 
is  of  a   compact  structure  and  dull  red  color.     Between  this 


538  APPENDIX. 

locality  aucl  the  bold  cape  of  Point  Iroquois,  at  the  head  of  St. 
Mary's  River,  there  intervenes  an  extensive  formation  of  gravel, 
boulders,  and  sand.  The  length  of  this  line  of  coast  is  about 
ninety  miles,  its  breadth  to  the  basinic  rim,  perhaps  thirty.  It 
is  covered  with  small  pines,  spruce,  birch,  and  poplar,  with  fre- 
quent sphagnous  tracts  and  ponds ;  the  lake  shore,  where  the 
sands  are  continually  accumulated,  being  higher  than  the  interior 
portions.  It  has,  from  early  days,  been  a  favorite  resort  for 
beaver,  from  which  it  is  called  by  the  natives,  Namikong,  meaning, 
excellent  place  of  beavers. 

This  tract  of  the  ISTamikong  is  primarily  due  to  diluvial  forma- 
tions, with  a  comparatively  recent  hem  of  lake  action,  consisting 
of  sands  and  pebbles  pushed  up  by  the  waves  of  Lake  Superior. 
Through  this  tract,  from  the  plateaux,  four  small  rivers  make 
their  way  to  the  lake.  They  are,  in  their  order,  from  west  to 
east,  the  river  of  Grand  Mauvais,  the  Twin  River,  the  Shelldrake, 
and  the  Tacquimenon,  which  enters  the  lake  fifteen  miles  from 
Point  Iroquois. 

Of  these  streams,  the  Tacquimenon  carries  the  largest  body  of 
water  into  the  lake.  It  is  already  a  stream  of  seventy  feet  wide, 
and  three  feet  deep,  when  it  reaches  the  rim  of  sandstone  rocks 
referred  to.  Over  these,  it  is  plunged,  at  a  single  perpendicular 
leap,  forty  feet,  falling  like  a  curtain.  It  drops  into  a  vast  con- 
cavity in  the  sand  rock,  where  the  water  is  of  unfathomable  depth, 
black  and  still.  I  had  reached  this  point  in  a  canoe  manned  by 
Indians.  They  had  urged  their  way  up  a  very  rapid  brawling 
bed  for  six  miles  above  the  lower  falls,  and  when  we  reached  this 
still,  deep,  and  dark  basin,  they  said  that  care  was  required  to 
keep  from  under  the  suction  of  the  falling  sheet. 

The  lower  falls  of  the  stream  are  probably  twelve  or  fourteen 
feet.  They  are  broken  into  several  fan-shaped  cascades,  and  pre- 
sent a  picturesque  appearance — an  idea  which  has  also  impressed 
the  Chippewas,  for  they  refer  to  it  as  a  favorite  locality  of  fairies. 
Hence  their  name  for  it.  Immediately  below  these  falls  the  river 
winds  about,  making  a  peninsula,  which  is  covered  with  decidu- 
ous trees  and  a  fertile  soil.  The  amount  of  water  power  at  this 
point  is  such  as  must  command  attention  whenever  the  country 
justifies  settlement. 


APPENDIX.  539 


5.  Suggestions  respecting  the  Geological  Epoch  of  the  Deposit  of  Sand- 
stone Rock  at  St.  Mary's  Falls.    By  Henry  K.  Schoolcraft. 

Lake  Superior  presents  to  tlie  eye  the  singular  spectacle  of  a 
body  of  pure  translucent  water,  five  hundred  miles  in  length 
from  east  to  west,  and  one  hundred  and  eighty  or  two  hundred 
miles  wide.  This  vast  mass  of  water  is  thought  to  have  an  ex- 
treme depth — I  know  not  on  what  principles — of  nine  hundred 
feet  deep.  It  lies  at  an  elevation  of  six  hundred  feet  above  the 
Atlantic  ocean,  at  high  water. 

From  this  depth  there  has  been  protruded  from  its  bottom  two 
species  of  formations,  which  were  thus  elevated  by  volcanic  forces, 
namely,  the  trap  and  the  granitical  series.  Cones  and  high  mural 
cliffs,  with  large  rents,  make  this  basis  one  of  great  inequalities. 
To  fill  up  these,  the  sedimentary  rocks,  by  a  natural  law  of  gravita- 
tion, let  fall  the  dissolved  and  suspended  matter  which  constitutes 
the  horizontal  strata,  such  as  the  neutral  and  deep-colored  sand- 
stones. This  process  also  gives  origin  to  grauwackes  and  the 
grauwacke  slates  and  the  argillites.  But  these  horizontal  deposits 
do  not  all  retain  their  horizon tality.  They  were  tilted  up  by  other 
volcanic  forces,  after  the  deposition  and  hardening  of  the  sand- 
stones, as  we  see  them  at  the  north  foot  of  the  Porcupine  Mount- 
ains and  along  the  rugged  valley  of  the  St.  Louis  Eiver. 

This  secondary  upheaval  or  series  of  upheavals,  is  conceived  to 
furnish  proof  of  epochs.  Strata  of  the  same  mineral  constitution 
and  system  of  formation  which  are  upheaved,  are  clearly  of  pos- 
terior age  to  the  horizontal.  Some  of  these  strata  of  the  second- 
ary epoch  have  only  had  their  horizontality  disturbed,  while 
others  are  quite  vertical.  Yet,  the  disturbances  of  an  epoch  are 
only  relative,  and  it  remains  true  that  any  disturbance,  however 
slight,  in  the  fundamental  series,  throws  the  epoch  beyond  the 
newer  fletz  and  tertiary  formations. 

Some  theory  of  this  kind  is  necessary  in  scrutinizing  the  posi- 
tion of  the  St.  Mary's  sandstone,  which  is  manifestly  of  the  palao- 
zoic  era.  It  has  felt  the  impulse  of  disturbance,  although  it  ap- 
pears to  be  little.  Evidences  of  this  are  most  perceptible  in  the 
British  Channel,  on  the  north  side  of  the  Island  of  St.  Joseph. 


540  APPENDIX. 

This  cliannel,  and,  indeed,  the  entire  course  of  the  river  up  to  Lake 
Superior,  is  the  line  of  juxtaposition  between  the  rocks  of  elder 
and  the  secondary  epoch.  At  the  extreme  foot  of  Sugar  Island 
occurs  the  remains  of  a  stratum  of  the  sandstone  era,  consisting 
of  white  quartz  filled  with  coarse  red  jasper  pebbles.  I  observed 
remains  of  this  stratum  of  remarkable  rock,  which  have  been 
broken  off  and  swept  away  in  the  basin  of  Lake  Huron,  depo- 
sited in  boulder  masses,  on  its  southern  shores. 

The  sandstone  of  St.  Mary's  is,  structurally,  brittle,  fissile,  and 
worthless,  as  a  building  material.  Its  substructure  is  complicated 
and  made  up  of  thin  layers  exactly  deposited,  as  if  from  watery 
suspension,  but  deposited  without  disturbance.  These  sub-layers 
of  construction,  are  sometimes  cut  off  by  parallel  lines  at  right 
angles,  or  by  new  series  of  layers  diagonally  formed,  or  in  eche- 
lon. 


3.  INDIAN  TRIBES. 

VIII. 

CONDITION   AND   DISPOSITION. 

1.   Official  Re]}ort  of  an  Expedition  through  Tipper  Michigan  and 
Northern  Wisconsin  in  1831. 

Sault  Ste.  Marie,  Sept.  21,  1831. 

Sir  :  In  compliance  with  instructions  to  endeavor  to  terminate 
the  hostilities  between  the  Chippewas  and  Sioux,  I  proceeded  into 
the  Chippewa  country  with  thirteen  men  in  two  canoes,  having 
the  necessary  provisions  and  presents  for  the  Indians,  an  inter- 
preter, a  physician  to  attend  the  sick,  and  a  person  in  charge  of 
the  provisions  and  other  public  property.  The  commanding 
officer  of  Fort  Brady  furnished  me  with  an  escort  of  ten  soldiers, 
under  the  command  of  a  lieutenant;  and  I  took  with  me  a  few 
Chippewas,  in  a  canoe  provided  with  oars,  to  convey  a  part  of  the 
provisions.  A  flag  was  procured  for  each  canoe.  I  joined  the 
expedition  at  the  head  of  the  portage,  at  this  place,  on  the  25th 
of  June ;  and,  after  visiting  the  Chippewa  villages  in  the  belt  of 
country  between  Lake  Superior  and  the  Mississippi,  in  latitudes 
44°  to  46°,  returned  on  the  4th  of  September,  having  been  absent 


APPENDIX.  541 

seventy-two  days,  and  travelled  a  line  of  country  estimated  to  be 
two  thousand  three  hundred  and  eight  miles.  I  have  now  the 
honor  to  report  to  you  the  route  pursued,  the  means  employed  to 
accomplish  the  object,  and  such  further  measures  as  appear  to  me 
to  be  necessary  to  give  effect  to  what  has  been  done,  and  to  insure 
a  lasting  peace  between  the  two  tribes. 

Reasons  existed  for  not  extending  the  visit  to  the  Chippewa 
bands  on  the  extreme  Upper  Mississippi,  on  Red  Lake,  and  Red 
River,  and  the  River  De  Corbeau.  After  entering  Lake  Superior, 
and  traversing  its  southern  shores  to  Point  Chegoimegon,  and  the 
adjacent  cluster  of  islands,  I  ascended  the  Mauvaise  River  to  a 
portage  of  8f  miles  into  the  Kaginogumac,  or  Long  Water  Lake. 
This  lake  is  about  eight  miles  long,  and  of  very  irregular  width. 
Thence,  by  a  portage  of  280  yards,  into  Turtle  Lake ;  thence,  by 
a  portage  of  1,075  yards,  into  Clary's  Lake,  so  called ;  thence,  by 
a  portage  of  425  yards,  into  Lake  Polyganum ;  and  thence,  by  a 
portage  of  1,050  yards,  into  the  Namakagon  River,  a  branch  of 
the  River  St.  Croix  of  the  Upper  Mississippi.  The  distance  from 
Lake  Superior  to  this  spot  is,  by  estimation,  124  miles. 

"We  descended  the  Kamakagon  to  the  Pukwaewa,  a  rice  lake, 
and  a  Chippewa  village  of  eight  permanent  lodges,  containing  a 
population  of  53  persons,  under  a  local  chief  called  Odabossa.  We 
found  here  gardens  of  corn,  potatoes,  and  pumpkins,  in  a  very 
neat  state  of  cultivation.  The  low  state  of  the  water,  and  the 
consequent  difliculty  of  the  navigation,  induced  me  to  leave  the 
provisions  and  stores  at  this  place,  in  charge  of  Mr.  Woolsey,  with 
directions  to  proceed  (with  part  of  the  men,  and  the  aid  of  the 
Indians)  to  Lac  Courtonelle,  or  Ottowa  Lake,  and  there  await  my 
arrival.  I  then  descended  the  Namakagon  in  a  light  canoe,  to  its 
discharge  into  the  St.  Croix,  and  down  the  latter  to  Yellow  River, 
the  site  of  a  trading-post  and  an  Indian  village,  where  I  had,  by 
runners,  appointed  a  council.  In  this  trip  I  was  accompanied  by 
Mr.  Johnson,  sub-agent,  acting  as  interpreter,  and  by  Dr.  Hough- 
ton, adjunct  professor  of  the  Rensselaer  school.  We  reached 
Yellow  River  on  the  1st  of  August,  and  found  the  Indians  assem- 
bled. After  terminating  the  business  of  the  council  (of  which  I 
shall  presently  mention  the  results),  I  reascended  the  St.  Croix 
and  the  ISTamakagon,  to  the  portage  which  intervenes  between  the 


54:2  APPENDIX. 

latter  and  Lac  Courtorielle.  The  first  of  the  series  of  carrying- 
places  is  about  three  miles  in  length,  and  terminates  at  the  Lake 
of  the  Isles  {Lac  des  Isles)',  after  crossing  which,  a  portage  of  750 
yards  leads  to  Lac  du  Gres.  This  lake  has  a  navigable  outlet  into 
Ottowa  Lake,  where  I  rejoined  the  advanced  party  (including 
Lieutenant  Clary's  detachment)  on  the  5th  of  August. 

Ottowa  Lake  is  a  considerable  expanse  of  water,  being  about 
twelve  miles  long,  with  irregular  but  elevated  shores,  A  popu- 
lous Chippewa  village  and  a  trading-post  are  located  at  its  outlet, 
and  a  numerous  Indian  population  subsists  in  the  vicinity.  It  is 
situated  in  a  district  of  country  which  abounds  in  rice  lakes,  has 
a  proportion  of  prairie  or  burnt  land,  caused  by  the  ravages  of 
fire,  and,  in  addition  to  the  small  fur-bearing  animals,  has  several 
of  the  deer  species.  It  occupies,  geographically,  a  central  situa- 
tion, being  intermediate,  and  commanding  the  communications 
between  the  St.  Croix  and  Chippewa  Elvers,  and  between  Lake 
Superior  and  the  Upper  Mississippi.  It  is  on  the  great  slope  of 
land  descending  towards  the  latter,  enjoys  a  climate  of  compara- 
tive mildness,  and  yields,  with  few  and  short  intervals  of  ex- 
treme want,  the  means  of  subsistence  to  a  population  which  is 
still  essentially  erratic.  These  remarks  apply,  with  some  modi- 
fications, to  the  entire  range  of  country  (within  the  latitudes  men- 
tioned) situated  west  and  south  of  the  high  lands  circumscribing 
the  waters  of  Lake  Superior.  The  outlet  of  this  Lake  (Ottowa) 
is  a  fork  of  Chippewa  Eiver,  called  Ottowa  Eiver. 

I  had  intended  to  proceed  from  this  lake,  either  by  following 
down  the  Ottowa  branch  to  its  junction  with  the  main  Chippewa, 
and  then  ascending  the  latter  into  Lac  du  Flambeau,  or  by  de- 
scending the  Ottowa  branch  only  to  its  junction  with  the  north- 
west fork,  called  the  Ochasowa  Eiver;  and,  ascending  the  latter 
to  a  portage  of  sixty  jsawses,  into  the  Chippewa  Eiver.  By  the 
latter  route  time  and  distance  would  have  been  saved,  and  I 
should,  in  either  way,  have  been  enabled  to  proceed  from  Lac  du 
Flambeau  to  Green  Bay  by  an  easy  communication  into  the  Upper 
Ouisconsin,  and  from  the  latter  into  the  Menomonie  Eiver,  or  by 
Plover  Portage  into  Wolf  Eiver.  This  was  the  route  I  had  de- 
signed to  go  on  quitting  Lake  Superior ;  but,  on  consulting  my 
Indian  maps,  and  obtaining  at  Ottowa  Lake  the  best  and  most 
recent  information  of  the  distance  and  the  actual  state  of  the 


APPENDIX.  543 

water,  I  found  neither  of  the  foregoing  routes  practicable,  without 
extending  my  time  so  far  as  to  exhaust  my  supplies.  I  was  finally 
determined  to  relinquish  the  Lac  du  Flambeau  route,  by  learning 
that  the  Indians  of  that  place  had  dispersed,  and  by  knowing  that 
a  considerable  delay  would  be  caused  by  reassembling  them. 

The  homeward  route  by  the  Mississippi  was  now  the  most  eli- 
gible, particularly  as  it  would  carry  me  through  a  portion  of 
country  occupied  by  the  Chippewas,  in  a  state  of  hostility  with 
the  Sioux,  and  across  the  disputed  line  at  the  mill.  Two  routes, 
to  arrive  at  the  Mississippi,  were  before  me — either  to  follow 
down  the  outlet  of  Ottowa  Lake  to  its  junction  with  the  Chip- 
pewa, and  descend  the  latter  to  its  mouth,  or  to  quit  the  Ottowa 
Lake  branch  at  an  intermediate  point,  and,  after  ascending  a  small 
and  very  serpentine  tributary,  to  cross  a  portage  of  6,000  yards 
into  Lake  Chetac,     I  pursued  the  latter  route. 

Lake  Chetac  is  a  sheet  of  water  about  six  miles  in  length,  and 
it  has  several  islands,  on  one  of  which  is  a  small  Chippewa  village 
and  a  trading-post.  This  lake  is  the  main  source  of  Eed  Cedar 
Eiver  (called  sometimes  the  Folle  Avoine),  a  branch  of  the  Chip- 
pewa Eiver.  It  receives  a  brook  at  its  head  from  the  direction 
of  the  portage,  which  admits  empty  canoes  to  be  conveyed  down 
it  two  pauses^  but  is  then  obstructed  with  logs.  It  is  connected 
by  a  shallow  outlet  with  Weegv/os  Lake,  a  small  expanse  which 
we  crossed  with  paddles  in  twenty-five  minutes.  The  passage 
from  the  latter  is  so  shallow  that  a  portage  of  1,295  yards  is  made 
into  Balsam  of  Fir  or  Sapin  Lake.  The  baggage  is  carried  this 
distance,  but  the  canoes  are  brought  through  the  stream.  Sapin 
Lake  is  also  small;  we  were  thirty  minutes  in  crossing  it.  Below 
this  point,  the  river  again  expands  into  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water, 
called  Red  Cedar  Lake,  which  we  were  an  hour  in  passing ;  and 
afterward  into  Bois  Frangois^  or  Rice  Lake.  At  the  latter  place, 
at  the  distance  of  perhaps  sixty  miles  from  its  head,  I  found  the 
last  fixed  village  of  Chippewas  on  this  stream,  although  the  hunt- 
ing camps,  and  other  signs  of  temporary  occupation,  were  more 
numerous  below  than  on  any  other  part  of  the  stream.  This  may 
be  attributed  to  the  abundance  of  the  Virginia  deer  in  that  vici- 
nity, many  of  which  we  saw,  and  of  the  elk  and  moose,  whose 
tracks  were  fresh  and  numerous  in  the  sands  of  the  shore.  Wild 
rice  is  found  in  all  the  lakes.     Game,  of  every  species  common 


54-i  APPENDIX. 

to  the  latitude,  is  plentiful.  The  prairie  country  extends  itself 
into  the  vicinity  of  Rice  Lake;  and  for  more  than  a  day's  march 
before  reaching  the  mouth  of  the  river,  the  whole  face  of  the 
country  puts  on  a  sylvan  character,  as  beautiful  to  the  eye  as  it 
is  fertile  in  soil,  and  spontaneously  productive  of  the  means  of 
subsistence.  A  country  more  valuable  to  a  population  having 
the  habits  of  our  northwestern  Indians  could  hardly  be  conceived 
of;  and  it  is  therefore  cause  of  less  surprise  that  its  possession 
should  have  been  so  long  an  object  of  contention  between  the 
Chippewas  and  Sioux. 

About  sixty  miles  below  Rice  Lake  commences  a  series  of 
rapids,  which  extend,  with  short  intervals,  24  miles.  The  re- 
mainder of  the  distance,  to  the  junction  of  this  stream  with  the 
Chippewa,  consists  of  deep  and  strong  water.  The  junction  itself 
is  characterized  by  commanding  and  elevated  grounds,  and  a 
noble  expanse  of  waters.  And  the  Chippewa  River,  from  this 
spot  to  its  entrance  into  the  Mississippi,  has  a  depth  and  volume, 
and  a  prominence  of  scenery,  which  mark  it  to  be  inferior  to 
none,  and  superior  to  most  of  the  larger  tributaries  of  the  Upper 
Mississippi.  Before  its  junction,  it  is  separated  into  several 
mouths,  from  the  principal  of  which  the  observer  can  look  into 
Lake  Pepin.     Steamboats  could  probably  ascend  to  the  falls. 

The  whole  distance  travelled,  from  the  shores  of  Lake  Superior 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Chippewa,  is,  by  estimation,  643  miles,  of 
which  138  should  be  deducted  for  the  trip  to  Yellow  River  leav- 
ing the  direct  practicable  route  505  miles.  The  length  of  the 
Mauvaise  to  the  portage  is  104 ;  of  the  Namakagon,  from  the 
portage,  161;  of  the  Red  Cedar,  170;  of  the  Chippewa,  from  the 
entrance  of  the  latter,  40.  Our  means  of  estimating  distances 
was  by  time,  corrected  by  reference  to  the  rapidity  of  water  and 
strength  of  wind,  compared  with  our  known  velocity  of  travelling 
in  calm  weather  on  the  lakes.  These  estimates  were  made  and 
put  down  every  evening,  and  considerable  confidence  is  felt  in 
them.  The  courses  were  accurately  kept  by  a  canoe  compass. 
I  illustrate  my  report  of  this  part  of  the  route  by  a  map  pro- 
tracted by  Dr.  Houghton.  On  this  map,  our  places  of  encamp- 
ment, the  sites  and  population  of  the  principal  Indian  villages, 
the  trading-posts,  and  the  boundary  lines  between  the  Sioux  and 


APPENDIX.  645 

Chippewa,  are  indicated.    And  I  refer  you  to  it  for  several  details 
which  arc  omitted  iu  this  report. 

The  present  state  of  the  controversy  between  the  Sioux  and 
the  Chippewas  will  be  best  inferred  from  the  facts  that  follow. 
In  stating  them,  I  have  deemed  it  essential  to  preserve  the  order 
of  my  conferences  with  the  Indians,  and  to  confine  myself,  almost 
wholly,  to  results. 

Along  the  borders  of  Lake  Superior,  comparatively  little  alarm 
was  felt  from  the  hostile  relation  with  the  Sioux.  But  I  found 
them  well  informed  of  the  state  of  the  dif&culties,  and  the  result 
of  the  several  war-parties  that  had  been  sent  out  the  last  year. 
A  sj'stem  of  information  and  advice  is  constantly  kept  up  by  run- 
ners ;  and  there  is  no  movement  meditated  on  the  Sioux  borders, 
which  is  not  known  and  canvassed  by  the  lake  bands. 

They  sent  warriors  to  the  scene  of  conflict  last  year,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  murder  committed  by  the  Sioux  on  the  St.  Croix. 
Their  sufferings  from  hunger  during  the  winter,  and  the  existence 
of  disease  at  Torch  Lake  {Lac  du  Flambeau),  and  some  other 
places,  together  with  the  entire  failure  of  the  rice  crop,  had  pro- 
duced effects,  which  were  depicted  by  them  and  by  the  traders  in 
striking  colors.  They  made  these  sufferings  the  basis  of  frequent 
and  urgent  requests  for  provisions.  This  theme  was  strenuously 
dwelt  upon.  AYhatever  other  gifts  they  asked  for,  they  never 
omitted  the  gift  of  food.  They  made  it  their  first,  their  second, 
and  their  third  request. 

At  Chegoimegon,  on  Lake  Superior  (or  La  Pomte,  emphatic- 
ally so  called),  I  held  my  first  and  stated  council  with  the  In- 
dians. This  is  the  ancient  seat  of  the  Chippewa  power  in  this 
quarter.  It  is  a  central  and  commanding  point,  with  respect  to 
the  country  lying  north,  and  west,  and  south  of  it.  It  appears 
to  be  the  focus  from  which,  as  radii  from  a  centre,  the  ancient 
population  emigrated  ;  and  the  interior  bands  consequently  look 
back  to  it  with  something  of  the  feelings  of  parental  relation. 
News  from  the  frontiers  flies  back  to  it  with  a  celerity  which  is 
peculiar  to  the  Indian  mode  of  express.  I  found  here,  as  I  had 
expected,  the  fullest  and  most  recent  information  from  the  lines. 
Mozojeed,  the  principal  man  at  Ottowa  Lake,  had  recently  visited 
them  for  the  purpose  of  consultation ;  but  returned  on  the  alarm 
of  an  attack  upon  his  village. 
35 


546  APPENDIX, 

The  Indians  listened  with  attention  to  the  message  transmitted 
to  them  from  the  President,  and  to  the  statements  with  which  it 
was  enforced.  Pezhickee,  the  venerable  and  respected  chief  of 
the  place,  was  their  speaker  in  reply.  He  lamented  the  war,  and 
admitted  the  folly  of  keeping  it  up ;  but  it  was  carried  on  by  the 
Chippewas  in  self-defence,  and  by  volunteer  parties  of  young 
men,  acting  without  the  sanction  of  the  old  chiefs.  He  thought 
the  same  remark  due  to  the  elder  Sioux  chiefs,  who  probably  did 
not  sanction  the  crossing  of  the  lines,  but  could  not  restrain  their 
young  men.  He  lived,  he  said,  in  an  isolated  situation,  did  not 
mingle  in  the  interior  broils,  and  did  not  deem  himself  responsible 
for  acts  done  out  of  his  own  village,  and  certainly  not  for  the  acts 
of  the  villages  of  Torch  Lake,  Ottowa  Lake,  and  the  St.  Croix. 
He  had  uniformly  advised  his  people  to  sit  still  and  remain  at 
peace,  and  he  believed  that  none  of  his  young  men  had  joined 
the  war-parties  of  last  year.  The  Government,  he  said,  should 
have  his  hearty  co-operation  in  restoring  peace.  He  referred  to 
the  sub-agency  established  here  in  1826,  spoke  of  its  benefits,  and 
wished  to  know  why  the  agent  had  been  withdrawn,  and  whether 
he  would  be  instructed  to  return  ?  In  the  course  of  his  reply,  he 
said  that  formerly,  when  the  Indians  lived  under  the  British  go- 
vernment, they  were  usually  told  what  to  do,  and  in  very  distinct 
terms ;  but  they  were  now  at  a  loss.  From  what  had  been  said  and 
done  at  the  treaty  of  Fond  du  Lac,  he  expected  the  care  and  pro- 
tection of  the  American  government,  and  that  they  would  advance 
towards,  instead  of  (as  in  the  case  of  the  sub-agency)  withdrawing 
from  them.  He  was  rather  at  a  loss  for  our  views  respecting  the 
Chippewas,  and  he  wished  mucb  for  my  advice  in  their  affairs. 

I  thought  it  requisite  to  make  a  distinct  reply  to  this  point.  I 
told  him  that  when  they  lived  under  the  British  government, 
they  were  justified  in  shaping  their  course  according  to  the  advice 
they  received ;  but  that,  on  the  transfer  of  the  country,  their  alle- 
giance was  transferred  with  it.  And  when  our  Government 
hoisted  its  flag  at  Mackinac  (1796),  it  expected  from  the  Indians 
living  within  our  boundaries  the  respect  due  to  it ;  and  it  acknow- 
ledged, at  the  same  time,  the  reciprocal  obligations  of  care  and 
protection.  Tliat  it  always  aimed  to  fulfil  these  obligations,  of 
which  facts  within  his  own  knowledge  and  memory  would  afford 
ample  proofs.     I  referred  him  to  the  several  efforts  the  Govern- 


i 


APPENDIX.  547 

meut  had  made  to  establish  a  lasting  peace  between  the  Chippe- 
was  and  Sioux ;  for  which  purpose  the  President  had  sent  one  of 
his  principal  men  (alluding  to  Gov.  Cass),  in  1820,  who  had  visited 
their  most  extreme  northwestern  villages,  and  induced  themselves 
and  the  Sioux  to  smoke  the  pipe  of  peace  together  at  St.  Peter's. 
In  accordance  with  these  views,  and  acting  on  the  information 
then  acquired,  the  President  had  established  an  agency  for  their 
tribe  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  in  1822.  That,  in  1825,  he  had  assem- 
bled at  Prairie  du  Chien  all  the  tribes  who  were  at  variance  on 
the  Upper  Mississippi,  and  persuaded  them  to  make  peace,  and, 
as  one  of  the  best  means  of  insuring  its  permanency,  had  fixed 
the  boundaries  of  their  lands.  Seeing  that  the  Chippewas  and 
Sioux  still  continued  an  harassing  and  useless  contest,  he  had  sent 
me  to  remind  them  of  this  peace  and  these  boundaries,  which,  I 
added,  you,  Perikee,  yourself  agreed  to,  and  signed,  in  my  pre- 
sence. I  come  to  bring  you  back  to  the  terms  of  this  treaty.  Are 
not  these  proofs  of  his  care  and  attention  ?  Are  not  these  clear 
indications  of  his  views  respecting  the  Chippewas  ?  The  chief 
was  evidently  affected  by  this  recital.  The  truth  appeared  to 
strike  him  forcibly ;  and  he  said,  in  a  short  reply,  that  he  was 
now  advised ;  that  he  would  hereafter  feel  himself  to  be  advised, 
&c.  He  made  some  remarks  on  the  establishment  of  a  mission 
school,  &c.,  which,  being  irrelevant,  are  omitted.  He  presented 
a  pipe,  with  an  ornamented  stem,  as  a  token  of  his  friendship,  and 
his  desire  of  peace. 

I  requested  him  to  furnish  messengers  to  take  belts  of  wampum 
and  tobacco,  with  three  separate  messages,  viz:  to  Yellow  Eiver, 
to  Ottowa  Lake,  and  to  Lac  du  Flambeau,  or  Torch  Lake ;  and 
also,  as  the  water  was  low,  to  aid  me  in  the  ascent  of  the  Mau- 
vaise  Piver,  and  to  supply  guides  for  each  of  the  military  canoes, 
as  the  soldiers  would  here  leave  their  barge,  and  were  unac- 
quainted with  the  difficulties  of  the  ascent.  He  accordingly  sent 
his  oldest  son  (Che-che-gwy-ung)  and  another  person,  with  the 
messages,  by  a  direct  trail,  leading  into  the  St.  Croix  country. 
He  also  furnished  several  young  Chippewas  to  aid  us  on  the  Mau- 
vaise,  and  to  carry  baggage  on  the  long  portage  into  the  first 
intermediate  lake  west  of  that  stream. 

After  the  distribution  of  presents,  I  left  Chegoimegon  on  the 
18th  of  July.     The  first  party  of  Indians  met  at  the  Namakagon, 


548  APPENDIX. 

belonging  to  a  Ctiippewa  village  called  Pukwaewa,  baying,  as  its 
geographical  centre  and  trading-post,  Ottowa  Lake.  As  I  had 
directed  part  of  the  expedition  to  precede  me  there,  during  my 
journey  to  Yellow  Eiver,  I  requested  these  Indians  to  meet  me 
at  Ottowa  Lake,  and  assist  in  conveying  the  stores  and  provisions 
to  that  place — a  service  which  they  cheerfully  performed.  Ou 
ascending  the  lower  part  of  the  Namakagon,  I  learned  that  my 
messenger  from  Lake  Superior  had  passed,  and,  on  reaching  Yel- 
low River,  T  found  the  Indians  assembled  and  waiting.  They 
were  encamped  on  an  elevated  ridge,  called  Pekogunagun,  or  the 
Hip  Bone,  and  fired  a  salute  from  its  summit.  Several  of  the 
neighboring  Indians  came  in  after  my  arrival.  Others,  with  their 
chiefs,  were  hourly  expected.  I  did  not  deem  it  necessary  for  all 
to  come  in,  but  proceeded  to  lay  before  them  the  objects  of  my 
visit,  and  to  solicit  their  co-operation  in  an  attempt  to  make  a 
permanent  peace  with  the  Sioux,  whose  borders  we  then  were 
near.  Kabamappa,  the  principal  chief,  not  being  a  speaker,  re- 
sponded to  my  statements  and  recommendations  through  another 
person  (Sha-ne-wa-gwun-ai-be).  He  said  that  the  Sioux  were  of 
bad  faith ;  that  they  never  refused  to  smoke  the  pipe  of  peace 
with  them,  and  they  never  failed  to  violate  the  promise  of  peace 
thus  solemnly  made.  He  referred  to  an  attack  they  made  last 
year  on  a  band  of  Chippewas  and  half-breeds,  and  the  murder  of 
four  persons.  Perpetual  vigilance  was  required  to  meet  these 
inroads.  Yet  he  could  assert,  fearlessly,  that  no  Chippewa  war- 
party  from  the  St.  Croix  had  crossed  the  Sioux  line  for  years ; 
that  the  murder  he  had  mentioned  was  committed  within  the 
Chippewa  lines;  and  although  it  was  said,  at  the  treaty  of  Prairie 
du  Chien,  that  the  first  aggressor  of  territorial  rights  should  be 
punished,  neither  punishment  was  inflicted  by  the  Government, 
nor  had  any  atonement  or  apology  thus  far  been  made  for  this 
act  by  the  Sioux.  He  said  his  influence  had  been  exerted  in 
favor  of  peace ;  that  he  had  uniformly  advised  both  chiefs  and 
warriors  to  this  effect ;  and  he  stood  ready  now  to  do  whatever  it 
was  reasonable  he  should  do  on  the  subject. 

I  told  him  it  was  not  a  question  of  recrimination  that  was  be- 
fore us.  It  was  not  even  necessary  to  go  into  the  inquiry  of  who 
had  spilt  the  first  blood  since  the  treat}'-  of  Prairie  du  Chien,  The 
treaty  had  been  violated.     The  lines  had  been  crossed.    Murders 


APPENDIX.  549 

had  been  committed  by  the  Chippewas  and  by  the  Sioux.  These 
murders  had  reached  the  ears  of  the  President,  and  he  was  re- 
solved to  put  a  stop  to  them.  I  did  not  doubt  but  tliat  the  advice 
of  the  old  chiefs,  on  each  side,  had  been  pacific.  I  did  not  doubt 
but  that  his  course  had  been  particularly  so.  But  rash  young 
men,  of  each  party,  had  raised  the  war-club;  and  when  thoy  could 
not  go  openly,  they  went  secretly.  A  stop  must  be  put  to  this 
course,  and  it  was  necessary  the  first  movement  should  be  made 
somewhere.  It  was  proper  it  should  be  made  here,  and  be  made 
at  this, time.  Nothing  could  be  lost  by  it;  much  might  be  gained; 
and  if  a  negotiation  was  opened  with  the  Sioux  chiefs  while  I 
remained,  I  would  second  it  by  sending  an  explanatory  message 
to  the  chiefs  and  to  their  agent.  I  recommended  that  Kabamappa 
and  Shakoba,  the  war-chief  of  Snake  Eiver,  should  send  jointly 
wampum  and  tobacco  to  the  Petite  Corbeau  and  to  Wabisha,  the 
leading  Sioux  chiefs  on  the  Mississippi,  inviting  them  to  renew 
the  league  of  friendship,  and  protesting  their  own  sincerity  in  the 
offer.  I  concluded  by  presenting  him  with  a  flag,  tobacco,  wam- 
pum, and  ribbons,  to  be  used  in  the  negotiation.  After  a  con- 
sultation, he  said  he  would  not  only  send  the  messages,  but,  as  he 
now  had  the  protection  of  a  flag,  he  Avould  himself  go  with  the 
chief  Shakoba  to  the  Petite  Corbeau's  village.  I  accompanied 
these  renewed  offers  of  peace  with  explanatory  messages,  in  my 
own  name,  to  Petite  Corbeau  and  to  Wabisha,  and  a  letter  to  Mr. 
Taliaferro,  the  Indian  agent  at  St.  Peter's,  informing  him  of  these 
ste'ps,  and  soliciting  his  co-operation.  A  copy  of  this  letter  is 
hereunto  annexed.  I  closed  the  council  by  the  distribution  of 
presents ;  after  which  the  Indians  called  my  attention  to  the  con- 
duct of  their  trader,  &c. 

Information  was  given  me  immediately  after  my  arrival  at  Yel- 
low Eiver,  that  Neenaba,  a  popular  war-leader  from  the  Red 
Cedar  f6rk  of  Chippewa  River,  had  very  recently  danced  the  war- 
dance  with  thirty  men  at  Rice  Lake  of  Yellow  River,  and  that 
his  object  was  to  enlist  the  young  men  of  that  place  in  a  war- 
party  against  the  Sioux.  I  also  learned  that  my  message  for 
Ottowa  Lake  had  been  promptly  transmitted  through  ISTeenaba, 
whom  I  was  now  anxious  to  see.  I  lost  not  an  hour  in  reascend- 
ing  the  St.  Croix  and  the  Namakagon.  I  purchased  two  addi- 
tional canoes  of  the  Indians,  and  distributed  my  men  in  them,  to 


550  APPENDIX. 

ligliten  the  draught  of  water,  and  facilitate  the  ascent ;  and,  by 
pushing  early  and  late,  we  reached  Ottowa  Lake  on  the  fifth  day 
in  the  morning.  Neenaba  had,  however,  delivered  his  naessage, 
and  departed.  I  was  received  in  a  very  friendly  and  welcome 
manner,  by  Mozojeed,  of  the  band  of  Ottowa  Lake ;  "Wabezhais, 
of  the  Eed  Devil's  band  of  the  South  Pukwaewa ;  and  Odabossa, 
of  the  Upper  Namakagon.  After  passing  the  usual  formalities,  I 
prepared  to  meet  them  in  council  the  same  day,  and  communicate 
to  them  the  objects  of  ray  mission. 

In  the  course  of  the  conference  at  this  place,  I  obtained  the  par- 
ticulars of  a  dispute  which  had  arisen  between  the  Chippewas  of 
this  quarter,  which  now  added  to  their  alarm,  as  they  feared  the 
latter  would  act  in  coincidence  with  their  ancient  enemies,  the 
Sioux.  The  reports  of  this  disturbance  had  reached  me  at  the 
Sault,  and  they  continued,  with  some  variations,  until  my  arrival 
here.  The  following  are  the  material  facts  in  relation  to  this  new 
cause  of  disquietude :  In  the  summer  of  1827,  Okunzhewug,  an 
old  woman,  the  wife  of  Kishkemun,  the  principal  chief  of  Torch 
Lake,  a  man  superannuated  and  blind,  attended  the  treaty  of  Butte 
des  Morts,  bearing  her  husband's  medal.  She  was  treated  with 
the  respect  due  to  the  character  she  represented,  and  ample  pre- 
sents were  directed  to  be  given  to  her ;  among  other  things,  a 
handsome  hat.  The  latter  article  had  been  requested  of  her  by 
a  young  Menomonie,  and  refused.  It  is  thought  a  general  feeling 
of  jealousy  was  excited  by  her  good  reception.  A  number  of  the 
Menomonies  went  on  her  return  route  as  far  as  the  Clover  Por- 
tage, where  she  was  last  seen.  Having  never  returned  to  her  vil- 
lage, the  Chippewas  attributed  her  death  to  the  Menomonies.  Her 
husband  died  soon  after ;  but  she  had  numerous  and  influential 
relatives  to  avenge  her  real  or  supposed  murder.  This  is  the 
account  delivered  by  the  Chippewas,  and  it  is  corroborated  by 
reports  from  the  traders  of  that  section  of  the  country.  Her  sin- 
gular disappearance  and  secret  death  at  the  Clover  Portage,  is 
"undisputed ;  and  whether  caused  or  not  by  any  agency  of  the 
Menomonies,  the  belief  of  such  agency,  and  that  of  the  most  direct 
kind,  is  fixed  in  the  minds  of  the  Chippewas,  and  has  furnished 
the  basis  of  their  subsequent  acts  in  relation  to  the  Menomonie 
hunting-parties  who  have  visited  the  lower  part  of  Chippewa 


APPENDIX.  651 

.River.  Two  women  belonging  to  one  of  these  parties  were  killed 
by  a  Chippewa  war-party  traversing  that  part  of  the  country  the 
ensuing  year.  The  act  was  disclaimed  by  them  as  not  being  in- 
tentional, and  it  was  declared  they  supposed  the  women  to  be 
Sioux.  On  a  close  inquiry,  however,  I  found  the  persons  who 
committed  this  act  were  relatives  of  Okunzewug,  which  renders  it 
probable  that  the  murder  was  intentionally  perpetrated.  This  act 
further  widened  the  breach  between  the  two  hitherto  fraternal 
tribes ;  and  the  Chippewas  of  this  quarter  began  to  regard  the 
Menomonie  hunting-parties,  who  entered  the  mouth  of  the  Chip- 
pewa Eiver,  as  intruders  on  their  lands.  Among  a  people  whose 
means  of  verbal  information  is  speedy,  and  whose  natural  sense 
of  right  and  wrong  is  acute,  the  more  than  usual  friendship  and 
apparent  alliance  which  have  taken  place  between  the  Menomo- 
nies  and  Sioux,  in  the  contest  between  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  and 
the  murder  by  them  jointly  of  the  Fox  chief  White  Skin  and  his 
companions  at  a  smoking  council,  in  1830,  have  operated  to  in- 
crease the  feeling  of  distrust ;  so  much  so,  that  it  was  openly  re- 
ported at  Chegoimegon,  at  Yellow  Eiver,  and  Ottowa  Lake,  that 
the  Menomonies  had  formed  a  league  with  the  Sioux  against  the 
Chippewas  also,  and  they  were  fearful  of  an  attack  from  them. 
A  circumstance  that  had  given  point  to  this  fear,  and  made  it  a 
subject  of  absorbing  interest,  when  I  arrived  at  Ottowa  Lake,  was 
the  recent  murder  of  a  Menomonie  chief  by  a  Chippewa  of  that 
quarter,  and  the  demand  of  satisfaction  which  had  been  made  (it 
was  sometimes  said)  by  the  Indian  agent  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  and 
sometimes  by  the  commanding  officer,  with  a  threat  to  march 
troops  into  the  country.  This  demand,  I  afterward  learned  from 
the  Indians  at  Eice  Lake,  and  from  a  conversation  with  General 
Street,  the  agent  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  had  not  been  made,  either 
by  himself  or  by  the  commanding  officer;  and  the  report  had  pro- 
bably arisen  from  a  conversation  held  by  a  subaltern  officer  in 
command  of  a  wood  or  timber-party  near  the  mouth  of  the  Chip- 
pewa Eiver,  with  some  Chippewas  who  were  casually  met.  Its 
effects,  however,  were  to  alarm  them,  and  to  lead  them  to  desire 
a  reconciliation  with  the  Menomonies.  I  requested  them  to  lose 
no  time  in  sending  tobacco  to  the  Menomonies,  and  adjusting  this 
difference.    Mozojeed  observed  that  the  murder  of  the  Menomonie 


552  APPENDIX. 

bad  been  committed  by  a  person  non  compos^  and  lie  deplored  tlie 
folly  of  it,  and  disclaimed  all  agency  in  it  for  himself  and  liis 
band.  The  murderer,  I  believe,  belonged  to  his  band ;  he  desired 
a  reconciliation.  lie  also  said  the  measures  adopted  at  Yellow 
Eiver,  to  bring  about  a  firm  peace  with  the  Sioux,  had  his  fullest 
approbation,  and  that  nothing  on  his  part  should  be  wanting  to 
promote  a  result  in  every  view  so  wise  and  so  advantageous  to 
the  Indians.  In  this  sentiment,  Wabezhais  and  Odabossa,  who 
made  distinct  speeches,  also  concurred.  They  confirmed  their 
words  by  pipes,  and  all  the  assembly  made  an  audible  assent.  I 
invested  Mozojeed  with  a  flag  and  a  medal,  that  he  might  exert 
the  influence  he  has  acquired  among  the  Indians  beneficially  for 
them  and  for  us,  and  that  his  hands  might  thus  be  officially 
strengthened  to  accomplish  the  work  of  pacification.  I  then  dis- 
tributed presents  to  the  chiefs,  warriors,  women,  and  children,  in 
the  order  of  their  being  seated,  and  immediately  embarked,  leav- 
ing them  under  a  lively  and  enlivened  sense  of  the  good-will  and 
friendship  of  the  American  government,  on  this  first  official  visit 
to  them,  and  with  a  sincere  disposition,  so  far  as  could  be  judged, 
to  act  in  obedience  to  its  expressed  and  known  wishes. 

The  Indians  at  Torch  Lake  being  dispersed,  and  my  message 
to  them  not  having  been  delivered,  from  this  uncertaint}''  of  their 
location,  I  should  have  found  reasons  for  not  proceeding  in  that 
direction,  independent  of  the  actual  and  knov/n  difficulties  of  the 
route  at  that  time.  I  was  still  apprehensive  that  my  appearance 
had  not  wholly  disconcerted  the  war-party  of  Neenaba,  and  lost 
no  time  in  proceeding  to  his  village  on  the  Eed  Cedar  fork.  We 
found  the  village  at  Lake  Chetac,  which  in  1824  was  217  strong, 
almost  totally  deserted,  and  the  trading-house  burnt.  Scattering 
Indians  were  found  along  the  river.  The  mutual  fear  of  interrup- 
tion was  such  that  Mr.  B.  Cadotte,  Sen.,  the  trader  at  Ottowa 
Lake,  thought  it  advisable  to  follow  in  our  train  for  the  purpose 
of  collecting  his  credits  at  Rice  Lake. 

While  at  breakfast  on  the  banks  of  Sapin  Lake,  a  returning 
Avar-party  entered  the  opposite  side  of  it;  they  were  evidently  sur- 
prised, and  they  stopped.  After  reconnoitring  us,  they  were  en- 
couraged to  advance,  at  first  warily,  and  afterward  with  confidence. 
There  were  eight  canoes,  with  two  men  in  each ;  each  man  had  a 
gun,  war-club,  knife,  and  ammunition-bag :  there  was  nothing  else 


APPENDIX.  56S 

except  the  apparatus  for  managing  the  canoe.  They  were  all 
young  men,  and  belonged  to  the  vicinity  of  Ottowa  Lake.  Their 
unexpected  appearance  at  this  place  gave  me  the  first  information 
that  the  war-party  at  Neenaba  had  been  broken  up.  They  re- 
ported that  some  of  their  number  had  been  near  the  mill,  and  that 
they  had  discovered  signs  of  the  Sioux  being  out,  in  the  moose 
having  been  driven  up,  &c.  In  a  short  conference,  I  recited  to 
them  the  purpose  of  the  council  at  Ottowa  Lake,  and  referred 
them  to  their  chiefs  for  particulars,  enjoining  their  acquiescence 
in  the  proposed  measures. 

I  found  at  Eice  Lake  a  band  of  Chippewas,  most  of  them  young 
men,  having  a  prompt  and  martial  air,  encamped  in  a  very  com- 
pact form,  and  prepared  at  a  moment's  notice,  for  action.  They 
saluted  our  advance  with  a  smartness  and  precision  of  firing  that 
would  have  done  honor  to  drilled  troops.  Neenaba  was  absent 
on  a  hunting-party ;  but  one  of  the  elder  men  pointed  out  a  suita- 
ble place  for  my  encampment,  as  I  intended  here  to  put  new  bot- 
toms to  my  bark  canoes.  He  arrived  in  the  evening,  and  visited 
my  camp  with  forty-two  men.  This  visit  was  one  of  ceremony 
m.erely;  as  it  was  late,  I  deferred  anything  further  until  the  fol- 
lowing day.  I  remained  at  this  place  part  of  the  7th,  the  8th, 
and  until  3  o'clock  on  the  9th  of  August.  And  the  following  facts 
present  the  result  of  several  conferences  with  this'  distinguished 
young  man,  whose  influence  is  entirely  of  his  own  creation,  and 
whose  endowments,  personal  and  mental,  had  not  been  misrepre- 
sented by  the  Indians  on  my  route,  who  uniformly  spoke  of  him 
in  favorable  terms.  He  is  located  at  the  most  advanced  point 
towards  the  Sioux  borders,  and,  although  not  in  the  line  of  ancient 
chiefs,  upon  him  rests  essentially  the  conduct  of  affairs  in  this 
quarter.  I  therefore  deemed  it  important  to  acquire  his  confi- 
dence and  secure  his  influence,  and  held  frequent  conversations 
with  him.  His  manner  was  frank  and  bold,  equally  free  from 
servility  and  repulsiveness.  I  drew  his  attention  to  several  sub- 
jects. I  asked  him  whether  the  saw-mill  on  the  lower  part  of  the 
Eed  Cedar,  was  located  on  Chippewa  lands?  He  said.  Yes. 
Whether  it  was  built  with  the  consent  of  the  Chippewas  ?  He 
said,  No ;  it  had  been  built,  as  it  were,  by  stealth.  I  asked  him 
if  anything  had  been  subsequently  given  them  in  acknowledg- 
ment of  their  right  to  the  soil  ?     He  said,  No  ;  that  the  only  ac- 


554  APPENDIX. 

knowledgment  was  their  getting  tobacco  to  smoke  when  they 
visited  the  mill ;  that  the  Sioux  claimed  it  to  be  on  their  side  of 
the  line,  but  the  Chippewas  contended  that  their  line  ran  to  a  cer- 
tain bluff  and  brook  below  the  mill.  I  asked  him  to  draw  a  map 
of  the  lower  part  of  Chippewa  River,  with  all  its  branches,  show- 
ing the  exact  lines  as  fixed  by  the  treaty  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  and 
as  understood  by  them.  I  requested  him  to  state  the  facts  re- 
specting the  murder  of  the  Meuomonie,  and  the  causes  that  led  to. 
it ;  and  whether  he,  or  any  of  his  band,  received  any  message 
from  the  agent  or  commanding  officer  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  de- 
manding the  surrender  of  the  murderer  ?  To  the  latter  inquiry 
he  answered  promptly,  No.  He  gave  in  his  actual  population  at 
142  ;  but  it  is  evident  that  a  very  considerable  additional  popula- 
tion, particularly  men,  resort  there  for  the  purpose  of  hunting  a 
part  of  the  year. 

The  day  after  my  arrival,  I  prepared  for  and  summoned  the 
Indians  to  a  council,  with  the  usual  formalities.  I  opened  it  by 
announcing  the  objects  of  my  visit.  Neenaba  and  his  followers 
listened  to  the  terms  of  the  message,  the  means  I  had  adopted  to 
enforce  it,  and,  finally,  to  the  request  of  co-operation  on  the  part 
of  himself  and  band,  with  strict  attention.  He  confined  his  reply 
to  an  expression  of  thanks,  allusions  to  the  peculiarity  of  his 
situation  on  an  exposed  frontier,  and  general  sentiments  of 
friendship.  He  appeared  to  be  mentally  embarrassed  by  my 
request  to  drop  the  war-club,  on  the  successful  use  of  which  he 
had  relied  for  his  popularity,  and  whatever  of  real  power  he  pos- 
sessed. He  often  referred  to  his  young  men,  over  whom  he 
claimed  no  superiority,  and  who  appeared  to  be  ardently  attached 
to  him.  I  urged  the  principal  topic  upon  his  attention,  present- 
ing it  in  several  lights.  I  finally  conferred  on  him,  personally, 
a  medal  and  flag,  and  directed  the  presents  intended  for  his  band 
to  be  laid,  in  gross,  before  him. 

After  a  pause,  Neenaba  got  up,  and  spoke  to  the  question,  con- 
necting it  with  obvious  considerations,  of  which  mutual  rights, 
personal  safety,  and  the  obligation  to  protect  the  women  and 
children,  formed  the  basis.  The  latter  duty  was  not  a  slight  one. 
Last  year,  the  Sioux  had  killed  a  chief  on  the  opposite  shore  of 
the  lake,  and,  at  the  same  time,  decoyed  two  children,  who  were 
in  a  canoe,  among  the  rice,  and  killed  and  beheaded  them.     He 


APPENDIX.  555 

said,  in  allusion  to  the  medal  and  flag,  tliat  tliesc  mai'ks  of  Lonor 
were  not  necessary  to  secure  liis  attention  to  any  requests  made 
by  the  American  government.  And  after  resuming  Lis  seat 
awhile  (during  which  he  overheard  some  remarks  not  pleasing  to 
him,  from  an  Indian  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  ring),  ho  finally 
got  up  and  declined  receiving  them  until  they  were  eventually 
pressed  upon  him  by  the  young  warriors.  Everything  appeared 
to  proceed  with  great  harmony,  and  the  presents  were  quickly 
distributed  by  one  of  his  men.  It  was  not,  however,  until  the 
next  day,  when  my  canoes  were  already  put  in  the  water,  that  he 
came  with  his  entire  party,  to  make  his  final  reply,  and  to  present 
the  peace-pipe.  He  had  thrown  the  flag  over  one  arm,  and  held 
the  war-club  perpendicularly  in  the  ot,her  hand.  He  said  that, 
although  he  accepted  the  one,  he  did  not  drop  the  other ;  he  held, 
fast  to  both.  When  he  looked  at  the  one,  he  should  revert  to  the 
counsels  with  which  it  had  been  given,  and  he  should  aim  to  act 
upon  those  counsels ;  but  he  also  deemed  it  necessary  to  hold  fast 
the  war-club ;  it  was,  however,  with  a  determination  to  use  it  in 
defence,  and  not  in  attack.  He  had  reflected  upon  the  advice  sent 
to  the  Chippewas  by  the  President,  and  particularly  that  part  of 
it  which  counselled  them  to  sit  still,  upon  their  lands  ;  but  while 
they  sat  still,  they  also  wished  to  be  certain  that  their  enemies 
would  sit  still.  And  the  pipe  he  was  now  about  to  ofler,  he 
offered  with  a  request  that  it  might  be  sent  to  the  President,  ask- 
ing him  to  use  his  power  to  prevent  the  Sioux  from  crossing  the 
lines.  The  pipe  was  then  lit,  handed  round,  the  ashes  knocked, 
out,  and  a  formal  presentation  of  it  made.  This  ceremony  being 
ended,  I  shook  hands  with  them,  and  immediately  embarked. 

On  the  second  day  afterward,  I  reached  the  saw-mill,  the  sub- 
ject of  such  frequent  allusion,  and  landed  there  at  7  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  I  found  a  Mr.  Wallace  in  charge,  who  was  employed, 
with  ten  men,  in  building  a  new  dam  on  a  brook  of  the  Eed. 
Cedar,  the  freshet  of  last  spring  having  carried  away  the  former 
one.  I  inquired  of  him  where  the  line  between  the  Sioux  and 
Chippewas  crossed.  He  replied  that  the  line  crossed  above  the 
mill,  he  did  not  precisely  know  the  place ;  adding,  however,  in 
the  course  of  conversation,  that  he  believed  the  land  in  this  vici- 
nity originally  belonged  to  the  Chippewas.     He  said  it  was  seven 


556  APPENDIX. 

years  since  any  Sioux  had  visited  the  mill ;  and  that  the  latter 
was  owned  by  persons  at  Prairie  du  Chien. 

The  rapids  of  the  Red  Cedar  River  extend  (according  to  the 
estimates  contained  in  my  notes)  about  twenty -four  miles.  They 
commence  a  few  miles  below  the  junction  of  Meadow  River,  and 
terminate  about  two  miles  below  the  mills.  This  extension  of 
falling  water,  referred  to  in  the  treaty  as  a  fixed  point,  has  led 
to  the  existing  uncertainty.  The  country  itself  is  of  a  highly 
valuable  character  for  its  soil,  its  game,  its  wild  rice,  and  its  wood. 
We  found  the  butternut  among  those  species  which  are  locally 
included  under  the  name  of  Bois  fi-anc,  by  the  traders.  The  land 
can,  hereafter,  be  easily  brought  into  cultivation,  as  it  is  inter- 
spersed with  prairie ;  and  its  fine  mill  privileges  will  add  to  its 
value.  Indeed,  one  mile  square  is  intrinsically  worth  one  hun- 
dred miles  square  of  Chippewa  country,  in  some  other  places. 

The  present  saw-mills  (there  are  two),  are  situated  65  miles 
from  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi.  They  are  owned  exclusively 
by  private  citizens,  and  employed  for  their  sole  benefit.  The 
boards  are  formed  into  rafts ;  and  these  rafts  are  afterward  at- 
tached together,  and  floated  down  the  Mississippi  to  St.  Louis, 
where  they  command  a  good  price.  The  business  is  understood 
to  be  a  pi'ofitable  one.  For  the  privilege,  no  equivalent  has  been 
paid  either  to  the  Indians  or  to  the  United  States.  The  first  mill^ 
was  built  several  years  ago,  and  before  the  conclusion  of  the 
treaty  of  Prairie  du  Chien,  fixing  boundaries  to  the  lands.  A 
permit  was  given  for  building,  either  verbal  or  written,  as  I  have 
been  informed,  by  a  former  commanding  ofiicer  at  Prairie  du 
Chien.  I  make  these  statements  in  reference  to  a  letter  I  have 
received  from  the  Department  since  my  return,  but  which  is 
dated  June  27th,  containing  a  complaint  of  one  of  the  owners  of 
the  mill,  that  the  Chippewas  had  threatened  to  burn  it,  and  re- 
questing me  to  take  the  necessary  precautionary  measures.  I 
heard  nothing  of  such  a  threat,  but  believe  that  the  respect  which 
the  Chippewas  have  professed,  through  me,  for  the  American 
government,  and  the  influence  of  my  visit  among  them,  will  pre- 
vent a  resort  to  any  measures  of  violence;  and  that  they  will  wait 
the  peaceable  adjustment  of  the  line  on  the  rapids.  I  will  add 
that,  iclierever  that  line  may  be  determined,  in  a  reasonable  pro- 
bability, to  fall,  the  mill  itself  cannot  be  supplied  with  logs  for 


APPENDIX.  557 

any  length  of  time,  if  it  is  now  so  supplied^  without  cutting  them  on 
Chippewa  lands,  and  rafting  them  down  the  Eed  Cedar,  ]\[any 
of  the  logs  heretofore  sawed  at  this  mill,  have  been  rafted  up 
stream^  to  the  mill.  And  I  understood  from  the  person  in  charge 
of  it,  that  he  Avas  now  anxious  to  ascertain  new  sites  for  choppino-; 
that  his  expectations  were  directed  up  the  stream,  but  that  his 
actual  knowledge  of  the  country,  in  that  direction,  did  not  em- 
brace a  circumference  of  more  than  five  miles. 

The  line  between  the  Chippewa  and  Sioux,  as  drawn  on  the 
MS.  map  of  jSTeenaba,  strikes  the  rapids  on  Red  Cedar  Eiver  at 
a  brook  and  bluff  a  short  distance  below  the  mill.  It  proceeds 
thence,  across  the  point  of  land  between  that  branch  of  the  main 
Chippewa,  to  an  island  in  the  latter;  and  thence,  up  stream,  to 
the  mouth  of  Clearwater  River,  as  called  for  by  the  treaty,  and 
from  this  point  to  the  bluffs  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  (where  it 
corners  on  AVinnebago  land),  on  Black  River,  and  not  to  the 
"  moufh  "  of  Black  River,  as  erroneously  inserted  in  the  5th  arti- 
cle of  the  treaty  ;  the  Chippewas  never  having  advanced  any 
claims  to  the  lands  at  the  mouth  of  Black  River.  This  map,  be- 
ing drawn  by  a  Chippewa  of  sense,  influence,  and  respectability, 
an  exact  copy  of  it  is  herewith  forwarded  for  the  use  of  the 
Department,  as  embracing  the  opinions  of  the  Chippewas  on  this 
point.  The  lines  and  geographical  marks  were  drawn  on  paper 
by  JSTeenaba  himself,  and  the  names  translated  and  written  down 
by  Mr.  Johnston. 

It  is  obvious  that  the  adjustment  of  this  line  must  precede  a 
permanent  peace  on  this  part  of  the  frontiers.  The  number  of 
Chippewas  particularly  interested  in  it  is,  from  my  notes,  2,102  • 
to  which,  911  may  be  added  for  certain  bands  on  Lake  Superior, 
It  embraces  27  villages,  and  the  most  influential  civil  and  war 
chiefs  of  the  region.  The  population  is  enterprising  and  warlike. 
They  have  the  means  of  subsistence  in  comparative  abundance. 
They  are  increasing  in  numbers.  They  command  a  ready  access 
to  the  ^[ississippi  by  water,  and  a  ready  return  from  it  by  land. 
Habits  of  association  have  taught  them  to  look  upon  this  stream 
as  the  theatre  of  war.  Their  young  men  are  carried  into  it  as 
the  natural  and  almost  only  means  of  distinction.  And  it  is  in 
coincidence  with  all  observation  to  say  that  they  are  now,  as  they 
were  in  the  days  of  Captain  Carver,  the  terror  of  the  east  bank 


558  APPENDIX. 

of  this  river,  between  the  St.  Croix  and  Chippewa  Rivers.  No 
other  tribe  has  now,  or  has  had,  within  the  memory  of  man,  a 
village  or  permanent  possession  on  this  part  of  the  shore.  It  is 
landed  on  in  fear.  It  is  often  passed  by  other  nations  by  stealth, 
and  at  night.  Such  is  not  an  exaggerated  picture.  And  with  a 
knowledge  of  their  geographical  advantages,  and  numbers,  and 
distribution,  on  the  tributary  streams,  slight  causes,  it  may  be 
imagined,  will  often  excite  the  young  and  thoughtless  portion  of 
them  to  raise  the  war-club,  to  chant  the  war-song,  and  follow  the 
war-path. 

To  remove  these  causes,  to  teach  them  the  folly  of  such  a 
contest,  to  remind  them  of  the  treaty  stipulations  and  promises 
solemnly  made  to  the  Government,  and  to  the  Sioux,  and  to  induce 
them  to  renew  those  promises,  and  to  act  on  fixed  principles  of 
political  faith,  were  the  primary  objects  committed  to  me ;  and 
they  were  certainly  objects  of  exalted  attainment,  according  as 
well  with  the  character  of  the  Government  as  with  the  spirit  and 
moral  and  intellectual  tone  of  the  age.  To  these  objects  I  have 
faithfully,  as  I  believe,  devoted  the  means  at  my  command.  And 
the  Chippewas  cannot,  hereafter,  err  on  the  subject  of  their  hos- 
tilities with  the  Sioux,  without  knowing  that  the  error  is  disap- 
proved by  the  American  government,  and  that  a  continuance  in 
it  will  be  visited  upon  them  in  measures  of  severity. 

Without  indulging  the  expectation  that  my  influence  on  the 
tour  will  have  the  effect  to  put  an  end  to  the  spirit  of  predatory 
warfare,  it  may  be  asserted  that  this  spirit  has  been  checked  and 
allayed ;  and  that  a  state  of  feeling  and  reflection  has  been  pro- 
duced by  it,  which  cannot  fail  to  be  beneficial  to  our  relations 
with  them,  and  to  their  relations  with  each  other.  The  messages 
sent  to  the  Sioux  chiefs,  may  be  anticipated  to  have  resulted  in 
restoring  a  perfect  peace  during  the  present  fall  and  ensuing  win- 
ter, and  will  thus  leave  to  each  party  the  undisturbed  chase  of 
their  lands.  The  meditated  blow  of  Steenaba  was  turned  aside, 
and  his  war-party  arrested  and  dispersed  at  the  moment  it  was 
ready  to  proceed.  Every  argument  was  used  to  show  them  the 
folly  and  the  insecurity  of  a  continuance  of  the  war.  And  the 
whole  tenor  and  effect  of  my  visit  has  been  to  inform  and  reform 
these  remote  bands.  It  has  destroyed  the  charm  of  their  seclu- 
sion.    It  has  taught  them  that  their  conduct  is  under  the  super- 


i 


APPENDIX.  559 

vision  of  the  American  government ;  that  they  depend  on  its  care 
and  protection ;  that  no  other  government  has  power  to  regulate 
trade  and  send  traders  among  them;  finally,  that  an  adherence  to 
foreign  counsels,  and  to  anti-pacific  maxims,  can  be  visited  upon 
them  in  measures  of  coercion.  That  their  country,  hitherto 
deemed  nearly  inaccessible,  can  be  penetrated  and  traversed  by 
men  and  troops,  with  baggage  and  provisions,  even  in  midsum- 
mer, when  the  waters  are  lowest ;  and  that,  in  proportion  as  they 
comply  with  political  maxims,  as  benevolent  as  they  are  just,  will 
they  live  at  peace  with  their  enemies,  and  have  the  means  of  sub- 
sistence for  an  increased  population  among  themselves.  The 
conduct  of  the  traders  in  this  quarter,  and  the  influence  they  have 
exerted,  both  moral  and  political,  cannot  here  be  entered  upon, 
and  must  be  left  to  some  other  occasion,  together  with  statistical 
details  and  other  branches  of  information  not  arising  from  par- 
ticular instructions. 

It  may  be  said  that  the  Indians  upon  the  St.  Croix  and  Chip- 
pewa Elvers,  and  their  numerous  branches,  have  been  drawn  into 
a  close  intercourse  with  Government.  But  it  will  be  obvious  that 
a  perseverance  in  the  system  of  official  advice  and  restraints,  is 
essential  to  give  permanence  to  the  effects  already  produced,  and 
to  secure  a  firm  and  lasting  peace  between  them  and  the  Sioux. 
To  this  end,  the  settlement  of  the  line  upon  the  Red  Cedar  Fork  is 
an  object  which  claims  the  attention  of  the  Department ;  and 
would  justify,  in  mj^  opinion,  the  calling  togetlier  the  parties 
interested,  at  some  convenient  spot  near  the  junction  of  the  Red 
Cedar  River  with  the  Chippewa.  Indeed,  the  handsome  eleva- 
tion, and  the  commanding  geographical  advantages  of  this  spot, 
render  it  one  which,  I  think,  might  be  advantageously  occupied 
as  a  military  post.  Such  an  occupancy  would  have  the  effect  to 
keep  the  parties  at  peace ;  and  the  point  of  land,  on  which  the 
work  is  proposed  to  be  erected,  might  be  purchased  from  the 
Sioux,  together  with  such  part  of  the  disputed  lands  near  the 
mills  as  might  be  deemed  necessary  to  quiet  the  title  of  the  Chip- 
pewas.  By  acquiring  this  portion  of  country  for  the  purposes  of 
military  occupancy,  the  United  States  would  be  justified  in  punish- 
ing any  murders  committed  upon  it ;  and  I  am  f\i]lj  convinced 
that  no  measure  which  could,  at  this  time,  be  adopted,  would  so 
certainly  conduce  to  a  permanent  peace  between  the  tribes.     I 


560  APPENDIX. 

therefore  beg  leave,  througli  you,  to  submit  tliese  subjects  to  the 
consideration  of  the  honorable  the  Secretary  of  War,  with  every 
distrust  in  rny  own  powers  of  observation,  and  with  a  very  full 
confidence  in  his. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  sir. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

H.  E.  SCHOOLCEAFT. 
To  Elbeet  Herring,  Esq.,  Com.  Lid.  Affairs. 

2.  Brief  Notes  of  a  Tour  in  1831,  from  Galena,  in  Illinois,  to  Fort 
Winnebago,  on  the  source  of  Fox  River,  Wisconsin.  By  Henry 
E.  Schoolcraft. 

Time  admonishes  me  of  my  promise  to  furnish  you  some 
account  of  my  journey  from  Galena  to  Fort  Winnebago.  But  I 
confess,  that  time  has  taken  away  none  of  those  features  which 
make  me  regard  it  as  a  task.  Other  objects  have  occupied  so 
much  of  my  thoughts,  that  the  subject  has  lost  some  of  its  vivid- 
ness, and  I  shall  be  obliged  to  confine  myself  more  exclusively 
to  my  notes  than  I  had  intended.  This  will  be  particularly  true 
in  speaking  of  geological  facts.  Geographical  features  impress 
themselves  strongly  on  the  mind.  The  shape  of  a  mountain  is 
not  easily  forgotten,  and  its  relation  to  contiguous  waters  and 
woods  is  recollected  after  the  lapse  of  many  years.  The  succes- 
sion of  plains,  streams,  and  settlements  is  likewise  retained  in  the 
memory,  while  the  peculiar  plains,  the  soils  overlaying  them,  and 
all  the  variety  of  their  mineral  and  organic  contents,  require  to 
be  perpetuated  by  specimens  and  by  notes,  which  impose  neither 
a  slight  nor  a  momentary  labor. 

Limited  sketches  of  this  kind  are,  furthermore,  liable  to  be  mis- 
conceived. Prominent  external  objects  can  only  be  brought  to 
mind,  and  these  often  reveal  but  an  imperfect  notion  of  the  per- 
vading character  of  strata,  and  still  less  knowledge  of  their  mine- 
ral contents.  Haste  takes  away  many  opportunities  of  observa- 
tion ;  and  scanty  or  inconvenient  means  of  transporting  hand 
specimens,  often  deprive  us  of  the  requisite  data.  Indeed,  I 
should  be  loath  to  describe  the  few  facts  I  am  about  to  communi- 
cate, had  you  not  personally  visited  and  examined  the  great 
carboniferous  and  sandstone  formation  on  the  Mississippi  and 


APPENDIX.  561 

Wisconsin,  and  thus  got  the  knowledge  of  their  features.  The 
parallelism  which  is  apparent  in  these  rocks,  by  the  pinnacles 
which  have  been  left  standing  on  high — the  wasting  effects  of 
time  in  scooping  out  valleys  and  filling  up  declivities — and  the 
dark  and  castle-looking  character  of  the  cherty  limestone  bluff's, 
as  viewed  from  the  water,  while  the  shadows  of  evening  are  deep- 
ening around,  are  suited  to  make  vivid  impressions.  And  these 
broken  and  denuded  cliffs  offer  the  most  favorable  points  for 
making  geological  observations.  There  are  no  places  inland 
where  the  streams  have  cut  so  deep.  On  gaining  the  height  of 
land,  the  strata  are  found  to  be  covered  with  so  heavy  a  deposit 
of  soil,  that  it  is  difficult  to  glean  much  that  can  be  relied  on  re- 
specting the  interior  structure. 

The  angle  formed  by  the  junction  of  the  Wisconsin  Avith  the 
Mississippi,  is  a  sombre  line  of  weather-beaten  rocks.     Gliding 
along  the  current,  at  the  base  of  these  rocks,  the  idea  of  a  "hill 
countr3'-,"  of  no  very  productive  character,  is  naturally  impressed 
upon  the  observer.     And  this  impression  came  down,  probably, 
from  the  days  of  Marquette,  who  was  the  first  European,  that  we 
read  of,  who  descended  the  Wisconsin,  and  thus  became  the  true 
discoverer  of  the  Mississippi.     The  fact  that  it  yielded  lead  ore, 
bits  of  which  were  occasionally  brought  in  by  the  natives,  was  in 
accordance  with  this  opinion ;  and  aided,  it  may  be  supposed,  in 
keeping  out  of  view  the  real  character  of  the  country.     I  know 
not  how  else  to  account  for  the  light  which  has  suddenly  burst 
upon  us  from  this  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  and  which  has  at  once 
proved  it  to  be  as  valuable  for  the  purposes  of  agriculture  as  for 
those  of  mining,  and  as  sylvan  in  its  appearance  as  if  it  were  not 
fringed,  as  it  were,  with  rocks,  and  lying  at  a  great  elevation 
above  the  water.     This  elevation  is  so  considerable  as  to  permit 
a  lively  descent  in  the  streams,  forming  numerous  mill-seats. 
The  surface  of  the  country  is  not,  however,  broken,  but  may  be 
compared  to  the  heavy  and  lazy -rolling  waves  of  the  sea  after  a 
tempest.     These  wave-like  plains  are  often  destitute  of  trees,  ex- 
cept a  few  scattering  ones,  but  present  to  the  eye  an  almost 
boundless   field  of  native   herbage.     Groves  of  oak  sometimes 
diversify  those  native  meadows,  or  cover  the  ridges  which  bound 
them.     Yery  rarely  does  any  rock  appear  above  the  surface. 
The  highest  elevations,  the  Platte  Mounds,  and  the  Blue  Mound, 
86 


562  APPENDIX. 

are  covered  witli  soil  and  with  trees.  Numerous  brooks  of  limpid 
water  traverse  the  plains,  and  find  their  way  into  either  the  Wis- 
consin, Rock  River,  or  the  Mississippi.  The  common  deer  is  still 
in  possession  of  its  favorite  haunts;  and  the  traveller  is  very  often 
startled  by  flocks  of  the  prairie-hen  rising  up  in  his  path.  The 
surface  soil  is  a  rich  black  alluvion  ;  it  yields  abundant  crops  of 
corn,  and,  so  far  as  they  have  been  tried,  all  the  cereal  gramina, 
I  have  never,  either  in  the  West  or  out  of  the  A¥est,  seen  a  richer 
soil,  or  more  stately  fields  of  corn  and  oats,  than  upon  one  of  the 
plateaux  of  the  Blue  Mound. 

Such  is  the  country  which  appears  to  be  richer  in  ores  of  lead 
than  any  other  mineral  district  in  the  world — which  yielded  forty 
millions  of  pounds  in  seven  years — produced  a  single  lump  of 
ore  of  two  thousand  cubic  feet — and  appears  adequate  to  supply 
almost  any  amount  of  this  article  that  the  demands  of  commerce 
require. 

The  River  of  Galena  rises  in  the  mineral  plains  of  Iowa  county, 
in  that  part  of  the  Northwestern  Territory  which  is  attached,  for 
the  purposes  of  temporary  government,  to  Michigan.  It  is  made 
up  of  clear  and  permanent  springs,  and  has  a  descent  which  af- 
fords a  very  valuable  water-power.  This  has  been  particularly 
remarked  at  the  curve  called  Mill-seat  Bend.  No  change  in  its 
general  course,  which  is  southwest,  is,  I  believe,  apparent  after  it 
enters  the  northwest  angle  of  the  State  of  Illinois.  The  town  of 
Galena,  the  capital  of  the  mining  country,  occupies  a  somewhat 
precipitous  semicircular  bend,  on  the  right  (or  north)  bank  of  the 
river,  six  or  seven  miles  from  its  entrance  into  the  Mississippi. 
Backwater,  from  the  latter,  gives  the  stream  itself  the  appear- 
ance, as  it  bears  the  name,  of  a  "river,"  and  admits  steamboat 
navigation  thus  far.  It  is  a  rapid  brook  immediately  above  the 
town,  and  of  no  further  value  for  the  purpose  of  navigation. 
Lead  is  brought  in  from  the  smelting  furnaces,  on  heavy  ox- 
teams,  capable  of  carrying  several  tons  at  a  load.  I  do  not  know 
that  water  has  been,  or  that  it  cannot  be  made  subservient  in  the 
transportation  of  this  article  from  the  mines.  The  streams  them- 
selves are  numerous  and  permanent,  although  they  are  small,  and 
it  would  require  the  aid  of  so  many  of  these,  on  any  projected 
route,  that  it  is  to  be  feared  the  supply  of  water  would  be  inade- 
quate.    To  remedy  this  deficiency,  the  AYisconsin  itself  might  be 


APPENDIX.  563 

relied  on.  Could  the  waters  of  this  river  be  conducted  in  a  canal 
along  its  valley  from  tlie  portage  to  the  bend  at  Arena,  they 
might,  from  this  point,  be  deflected  in  a  direct  line  to  Galena. 
This  route  would  cut  the  mine  district  centrally,  and  afford  the 
upper  tributaries  of  the  Pekatolika  and  Fever  Elvers  as  feeders. 
Such  a  communication  would  open  the  way  to  a  northern  market, 
and  merchandise  might  be  supplied  by  the  way  of  Green  Bay, 
when  the  low  state  of  water  in  the  Mississippi  prevents  the 
ascent  of  boats.  It  would,  at  all  times,  obviate  the  tedious  voy- 
age, which  goods  ordered  from  the  Atlantic  cities  have  to  perform 
through  the  straits  of  Florida  and  Gulf  of  Mexico.  A  railroad 
could  be  laid  upon  this  route  with  equal,  perhaps  superior  advan- 
tages. These  things  may  seem  too  much  like  making  arrange- 
ments for  the  next  generation.  But  we  cannot  fix  bounds  to  the 
efforts  of  our  spreading  population,  and  spirit  of  enterprise.  Nor, 
after  what  we  have  seen  in  the  way  of  internal  improvement,  in 
our  own  day  and  generation,  should  we  deem  anything  too  hard 
to  be  accomplished. 

I  set  out  from  Galena  in  a  light  wagon,  drawn  by  two  horses, 
about  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  (August  17t)i),  accompanied  by 
Mr.  B.  It  had  rained  the  night  and  morning  of  the  day  previous, 
which  rendered  the  streets  and  roads  quite  muddy.  A  marly 
soil,  easily  penetrated  by  rain,  was,  however,  as  susceptible  to  the 
influence  of  the  sun,  and,  in  a  much  shorter  period  than  would 
be  imagined,  the  surface  became  dry.  Although  a  heavy  and 
continued  shower  had  thoroughly  drenched  the  ground,  and 
covered  it  with  superfluous  water,  but  very  little  effects  of  it  were 
to  be  seen  at  this  time.  We  ascended  into  the  open  plain  coun- 
try, which  appears  in  every  direction  around  the  town,  and  di- 
rected our  course  to  Gratiot's  Grove.  In  this  distance,  which,  on 
our  programme  of  the  route,  was  put  down  at  fifteen  miles,  a 
lively  idea  of  the  formation  and  character  of  the  country  is  given. 
The  eye  is  feasted  with  the  boundlessness  of  its  range.  Grass  and 
flowers  spread  before  and  beside  the  traveller,  and,  on  looking 
back,  they  fill  up  the  vista  behind  him.  He  soon  finds  himself 
in  the  midst  of  a  sylvan  scene.  Groves  fringe  the  tops  of  the 
most  distant  elevations,  and  clusters  of  trees — more  rarely,  open 
forests — are  occasionally  presented.  The  trees  appear  to  be  almost 
exclusively  of  the  species  of  white  oak  and  rough-bark  hickory. 


564:  APPE5TDIX. 

Among  the  flowers,  the  plant  called  rosin-weed  attracts  attention 
by  its  gigantic  stature,  and  it  is  accompanied,  as  certainly  as  sub- 
stance by  shadow,  by  the  wild  indigo,  two  plants  which  were 
afterwards  detected,  of  less  luxuriant  growth,  on  Fox  Eiver,  The 
roads  are  in  their  natural  condition ;  they  are  excellent,  except  for 
a  few  yards  where  streams  are  crossed.  At  such  places  there  is 
a  plunge  into  soft,  black  muck,  and  it  requires  all  the  powers  of 
a  horse  harnessed  to  a  wagon  to  emerge  from  the  stream. 

On  reaching  Gratiot's  Grove,  I  handed  letters  of  introduction 
to  Mr.  H.  and  B.  Gratiot.  These  gentlemen  appear  to  be  exten- 
sively engaged  in  smelting.  They  conducted  me  to  see  the  ore 
prepared  for  smelting  in  the  log  furnace;  and  also  the  preparation 
of  such  parts  of  it  for  the  ash  furnace  as  do  not  undergo  complete 
fusion  in  the  first  process.  The  ash  furnace  is  a  very  simple  kind 
of  air  furnace,  with  a  grate  so  arranged  as  to  throw  a  reverbe- 
rating flame  upon  the  hearth  where  the  prepared  ore  is  laid.  It 
is  built  against  a  declivity,  and  charged,  by  throwing  the  mate- 
rials to  be  operated  upon,  down  the  flue.  A  silicious  flux  is  used ; 
and  the  scoria  is  tapped  and  suffered  to  flow  out,  from  the  side  of 
the  furnace,  before  drawing  off  the  melted  lead.  The  latter  is 
received  in  an  excavation  made  in  the  earth,  from  which  it  is 
ladled  out  into  iron  moulds.  The  whole  process  is  conducted  in 
the  open  air,  with  sometimes  a  slight  shed.  The  lead  ore  is  piled 
in  cribs  of  logs,  which  are  roofed.  Hammers,  ladles,  a  kind  of 
tongs,  and  some  other  iron  tools  are  required.  The  simplicity  of 
the  process,  the  absence  of  external  show  in  buildings,  and  the 
direct  and  ready  application  of  the  means  to  the  end,  are  remark- 
able, as  pleasing  characteristics  about  the  smelting  establishment. 

The  ore  used  is  the  common  sulphuret,  with  a  foliated,  glitter- 
ing and  cubical  fracture.  It  occurs  with  scarcely  any  adhering 
gangue.  Cubical  masses  of  it  are  found,  at  some  of  the  diggings, 
which  are  studded  over  with  minute  crystals  of  calcareous  spar. 
These  crystals,  when  examined,  have  the  form  of  the  dog-tooth 
spar.  This  broad,  square-shaped,  and  square-broken  mineral,  is 
taken  from  east  and  west  leads^  is  most  easy  to  smelt,  and  yields 
the  greatest  per  centum  of  lead.  It  is  estimated  to  produce  fifty 
per  cent,  from  the  log  furnace,  and  about  sixteen  more  when 
treated  with  a  flux  in  the  ash  furnace. 

Miners  classify  their  ore  from  its  position  in  the  mine.     Ore 


ArPENDix.  565 

from  east  and  ivest  leack,  is  raised  from  clay  diggings,  altbougli 
these  diggings  may  be  pursued  under  the  first  stratum  of  rock. 
Ore  from  iiorth  a^id  south  leads,  is  termed  "  sheet  minerals,"  and  is 
usually  taken  from  rock  diggings.  The  vein  or  sheet  stands  per- 
pendicularly in  the  fissure,  and  is  usually  struck  in  sinking  from 
six  to  ten  feet.  The  sheet  varies  in  thickness  from  six  or  eight 
inches,  in  the  broadest  part,  to  not  more  than  one.  The  great 
mass  found  at  "  Irish  diggings"  was  of  this  kind. 

I  observed,  among  the  piles  of  ore  at  Gratiot's,  the  combination 
of  zinc  with  lead  ore,  which  is  denominated  dry  hone.  It  is  cast 
by  as  unproductive.  Mr.  B.  Gratiot  also  showed  me  pieces  of 
the  common  ore  which  had  undergone  desulphuration  in  the  log 
furnace.  Its  natural  splendor  is  increased  by  this  process,  so  as 
to  have  the  appearance  of  highly  burnished  steel.  He  also  pre- 
sented me  some  uniform  masses  of  lead,  recrystallized  from  a 
metallic  state,  under  the  hearth  of  the  ash  furnace.  The  tendency 
to  rectangular  structure  in  these  delicate  and  fragile  masses  is 
very  remarkable.  Crystallization  appears  to  have  taken  place 
under  circumstances  which  opposed  the  production  of  a  complete 
and  perfect  cube  or  parallelogram,  although  there  are  innume- 
rable rectangles  of  each  geometric  form. 

In  the  drive  from  Gratiot's  to  Willow  Springs,  we  saw  a  suc- 
cession of  the  same  objects  that  had  formed  the  prominent  features 
of  the  landscape  from  Galena.  The  platte  mounds,  which  had 
,  appeared  on  our  left  all  the  morning,  continued  visible  until  we 
entered  the  grove  that  embraces  the  site  of  the  springs.  Little 
mounds  of  red  earth  frequently  appeared  above  the  grass,  to  tes- 
tify to  the  labors  of  miners  along  this  part  of  the  route.  In  taking 
a  hasty  survey  of  some  of  the  numerous  excavations  of  Irish  dig- 
gings, I  observed  among  the  rubbish  small  flat  masses  of  a  yel- 
lowish white  amorphous  mineral  substance  of  great  weight.  I 
have  not  had  time  to  submit  it  to  any  tests.  It  appears  too  heavy 
and  compact  for  the  earthy  yellow  oxide  of  lead.  I  should  not 
be  disappointed  to  find  it  an  oxide  of  zinc.  No  rock  stratum  pro- 
trudes from  the  ground  in  this  part  of  the  country.  The  consoli- 
dated masses,  thrown  up  from  the  diggings,  appear  to  be  silicated 
limestone,  often  friable,  and  not  crystalline.  Galena  is  found  in 
open  fissures  in  this  rock. 

We  reached  the  springs  in  the  dusk  of  the  evening,  and  found 


566  APPENDIX. 

good   accommodations  at  Eay's.     Distance  from  Galena  thirty 
miles. 

The  rain  fell  copiously  during  the  night,  and  on  the  morning 
(18th)  gave  no  signs  of  a  speedy  cessation.     Those  who  travel 
ought  often,  however,  to  call  to  mind  the  remark  of  Xenophon, 
that  "pleasure  is  the  result  of  toil,"  and  not  permit  slight  impedi- 
ments to  arrest  them, -particularly  when  they  have  definite  points 
to  make.     We  set  forward  in  a  moderate  rain,  but  in  less  than 
an  hour  had  the  pleasure  to  perceive  signs  of  its  mitigating,  and 
before  nine  o'clock  it  was  quite  clear.     We  stopped  a  short  time 
at  Bracken's  furnace.    Mr.  Bracken  gave  me  specimens  of  organic 
remains,  in  the  condition  of  earthy  calcareous  carbonates,  pro- 
cured on  a  neighboring  ridge.    He  described  the  locality  as  being 
plentiful  in  casts  and  impressions  such  as  he  exhibited,  which 
appeared  to  have  been  removed  from  the  surface  of  a  shelly  lime- 
stone.    At  Eock-Branch  diggings,  I  found  masses  of  calcareous 
spar  thrown  from  the  pits.     The  surface  appears  to  have  been 
much  explored  for  lead  in  this  vicinity.     I  stopped  to  examine 
Yanmater's  lead.     It  had  been  a  productive  one,  and  affords  a 
fair  example  of  what  are  called  east  and  west  leads.     I  observed 
a  compass  standing  on  the  line  of  the  lead,  and  asked  Mr.  V. 
whether  much  reliance  was  to  be  placed  upon  the  certainty  of 
striking  the  lead  by  the  aid  of  this  instrument.     He  said  that  it 
was  much  relied  on.     That  the  course  of  the  leads  was  definite. 
The  present  one  varied  from  a  due  east  and  west  line  but  nine 
minutes,  and  the  lead  had  been  followed  without  much  difficulty. 
The  position  of  the  ore  was  about  forty  feet  below  the  surface. 
Of  this  depth  about  thirty-six  feet  consisted  of  the  surface  rock 
and  its  earthy  covering.     A  vein  of  marly  clay,  enveloping  the 
ore,  was  then  penetrated.     A  series  of  pits  had  been  sunk  on  the 
course  of  it,  and  the  earth  and  ore  in  the  interstices  removed,  and 
drawn  to  the  surface  by  a  windlass  and  bucket.     Besides  the  ore, 
masses  of  iron  pyrites  had  been  thrown  out,  connected  with  galena. 
In  stooping  to  detach  some  pieces  from  one  of  these  masses,  I 
placed  my  feet  on  the  verge  of  an  abandoned  pit,  around  which 
weeds  and  bushes  had  grown.     My  face  was,  however,  averted 
from  the  danger;  but,  on  beholding  it,  I  was  made  sensible  that 
the  least  deviation  from  a  proper  balance  would  have  pitched  me 
into  it.     It  was  forty  feet  deep.     The  danger  I  had  just  escaped 


APPENDIX.  567 

fell  to  the  lot  of  Mr.  B.'s  dog,  who,  probably  deceived  by  the 
growth  of  bushes,  fell  in.  Whether  killed  or  not,  it  was  impos- 
sible to  tell,  and  we  were  obliged  to  leave  the  poor  animal,  under 
a  promise  of  Mr,  Y.,  that  he  would  cause  a  windlass  to  be  removed 
to  the  pit,  to  ascertain  his  fate. 

At  eleven  o'clock  we  reached  Mineral  Point,  the  seat  of  justice 
of  Iowa  county.  I  delivered  an  introductory  letter  to  Mr.  Ansley, 
who  had  made  a  discovery  of  copper  ore  in  the  vicinity,  and 
through  his  politeness,  visited  the  locality.  The  discovery  was 
made  in  sinking  pits  in  search  of  lead  ore.  Small  pieces  of  green 
carbonate  of  copper  were  found  on  striking  the  rock,  w^hich  is 
apparently  silico-calcareous,  and  of  a  very  friable  structure. 
From  one  of  the  excavations,  detached  masses  of  the  sulphuret, 
blue  and  green  mingled,  were  raised.  These  masses  are  enveloped 
with  ochery  clay. 

In  riding  out  on  horseback  to  see  this  locality,  I  passed  over 
the  ridge  of  land  which  first  received  the  appellation  of  "  Mineral 
Point."  No  digging  was  observed  in  process,  but  the  heaps  of 
red  marly  clay,  the  vigorous  growth  of  shrubbery  around  them, 
and  the  number  of  open  or  partially  filled  pits,  remain  to  attest 
the  labor  which  was  formerly  devoted  in  the  search  for  lead.  And 
this  search  is  said  to  have  been  amply  rewarded.  The  track  of 
discovery  is  conspicuously  marked  by  these  excavations,  which 
often  extend,  in  a  direct  line,  on  the  cardinal  points,  as  far  as  the 
eye  can  reach.  Everywhere  the  marly  clay  formation  appears 
to  have  been  relied  on  for  the  ore,  and  much  of  it  certainly  ap- 
pears to  be  m  situ  in  it.  It  bears  no  traces  of  attrition  ;  and  its 
occurrence  in  regular  leads  forbids  the  supposition  of  its  being 
an  oceanic  arrangement  of  mineral  detritus.  At  Vanmater's,  the 
metalliferous  clay  marl  is  overlaid  by  a  grayish  sedimentary 
limestone.  Different  is  the  geological  situation  of  what  is  deno- 
minated gravel  orc^  of  which  I  noticed  piles,  on  the  route  from 
Gratiot's.  This  bears  evident  marks  of  attrition,  and  appears  to 
have  been  uniformly  taken  from  diluvial  earth. 

On  returning  to  the  village  from  this  excursion,  I  found  Mr.  B. 
ready  to  proceed,  and  we  lost  no  time  in  making  the  next  point 
in  our  proposed  route.  A  drive  of  five  miles  brought  us  to  the 
residence  of  Colonel  Dodge,  whose  zeal  and  enterprise  in  opening 
this  portion  of  our  western   country  for  settlement,  give  him 


568  APPENDIX. 

claims  to  be  looked  up  to  as  a  public  benefactor.  I  here  met  the 
superintendent  of  the  mines  (Captain  Legate),  and  after  spending 
some  time  in  conversation  on  the  resources  and  prospects  of  the 
country,  and  partaking  of  the  hospitalities  politely  offered  by 
Colonel  D.  and  his  intelligent  family,  we  pursued  our  way.  The 
village  of  Dodgeville  lies  at  the  distance  of  four  miles.  Soon  after 
passing  through  it  some  part  of  our  tackle  gave  way,  in  crossing 
a  gully,  and  I  improved  the  opportunity  of  the  delay  to  visit  the 
adjacent  diggings,  which  are  extensive.  The  ore  is  found  as  at 
other  mines,  in  regular  leads,  and  not  scattered  about  promis- 
cuously in  the  red  marl,  Masses  of  brown  oxide  of  iron  were 
more  common  here  than  I  had  noticed  them  elsewhere.  Among 
the  rubbish  of  the  diggings,  fragments  of  hornstone  occur.  They 
appear  to  be,  most  commonly,  portions  of  nodules,  which  exhibit, 
on  being  fractured,  various  disco] orings. 

Night  overtook  us  before  we  entered  Porter's  Grove,  which  is 
also  the  seat  of  mining  and  smelting  operations.  We  are  in- 
debted to  the  hospitality  of  Mr.  M.,  of  whom  my  companion  was 
an  acquaintance,  for  opening  his  door  to  us,  at  an  advanced  hour 
of  the  evening.  Distance  from  Willow  Springs,  twenty-five 
miles. 

There  is  no  repose  for  a  traveller.  We  retired  to  rest  at  a  late 
hour,  and  rose  at  an  early  one.  The  morning  (19th)  was  hazy, 
and  we  set  forward  while  the  dew  was  heavy  on  the  grass.  Our 
route  still  lay  through  a  prairie  country.  The  growth  of  native 
grass,  bent  down  with  dew,  nearly  covered  the  road,  so  that  our 
horses'  legs  were  continually  bathed.  The  rising  sun  was  a  very 
cheerful  sight,  but  as  our  road  lay  up  a  long  ascent,  we  soon  felt 
its  wilting  effects.  Nine  miles  of  such  driving,  with  not  a  single 
grove  to  shelter  us,  brought  us  to  Mr.  Brigham's,  at  the  foot  of 
the  Blue  Mound,  being  the  last  house  in  the  direction  to  Fort 
Winnebago.  The  distance  from  Galena  is  sixty-four  miles,  and 
this  area  embraces  the  present  field  of  mining  operations.  In 
rapidly  passing  over  it,  mines,  furnaces,  dwelling-houses,  mining 
villages,  inclosed  fields,  upland  prairies  (an  almost  continued 
prairie),  groves,  springs,  and  brooks,  have  formed  the  prominent 
features  of  the  landscape.  The  impulse  to  the  settlement  of  the 
country  was  first  given  by  its  mineral  wealth ;  and  it  brought 
here,  as  it  were  by  magic,  an  enterprising  and  active  population. 


APPENDIX.  569 

It  is  evident  that  a  far  greater  amount  of  labor  was  a  few  years 
ago  engaged  in  mining  operations ;  but  the  intrinsic  value  of  the 
lands  has  operated  to  detain  the  present  population,  which  may 
be  considered  as  permanent.  The  lands  are  beautifully  disposed, 
well  watered,  well  drained  by  natural  streams,  and  easily  brought 
into  cultivation.  Crops  have  everywhere  repaid  the  labors  of  the 
farmer ;  and,  thus  far,  the  agricultural  produce  of  the  country  has 
borne  a  fair  price.  The  country  appears  to  afibrd  every  facility 
for  raising  cattle,  horses,  and  hogs.  Mining,  the  cardinal  interest 
heretofore,  has  not  ceased  in  the  degree  that  might  be  inferred 
from  the  depression  of  the  lead  market ;  and  it  will  be  pursued, 
with  increased  activity,  whenever  the  purposes  of  commerce  call 
for  it.  In  the  present  situation  of  the  country,  there  appear  to 
be  two  objects  essential  to  the  lasting  welfare  of  the  settlements: 
first,  a  title  to  their  lands  from  Congress;  second,  a  northern 
market  for  the  products  of  their  mines  and  farms.  To  these,  a 
third  requisite  may  be  considered  auxiliary,  namely,  the  establish- 
ment of  the  seat  of  territorial  government  at  some  point  west  of 
Lake  Michigan,  where  its  powers  may  be  more  readily  exercised, 
and  the  reciprocal  obligations  of  governor  and  people  more  vi- 
vidly felt. 

Mr.  Brigham,  in  whom  I  was  happy  to  recognize  an  esteemed 
friend,  conducted  us  over  his  valuable  plantation.  He  gave  me 
a  mass  of  a  white,  heavy  metallic  substance,  taken  as  an  accom- 
panying mineral,  from  a  lead  of  Galena,  which  he  has  recently 
discovered  in  a  cave.  Without  instituting  any  examination  of  it 
but  such  as  its  external  characters  disclose,  it  may  be  deemed  a 
native  carbonate  of  lead.  The  mass  from  which  it  was  broken 
weighed  ninety  or  one  hundred  pounds.  And  its  occurrence,  at 
the  lead,  was  not  alone. 

From  the  Blue  Mound  to  Fort  Winnebago  is  an  estimated  dis- 
tance of  fifty-six  miles.  The  country  is,  however,  entirely  in  a 
state  of  nature.  The  trace  is  rather  obscure ;  but,  with  a  know- 
ledge of  the  general  geography  and  face  of  the  country,  there  is 
no  difficulty  in  proceeding  with  a  light  wagon,  or  even  a  loaded 
team,  as  the  Indian  practice  of  firing  the  prairies  every  fall  has 
relieved  the  surface  from  underbrush  and  fallen  timber.  After 
driving  a  few  miles,  we  encountered  two  Winnebagoes  on  horse- 
back, the  forward  rider  having  a  white  man  in  tie  behind  him. 


570  APPENDIX. 

The  latter  informed  us  that  his  name  was  H.,  that  he  had  come 
out  to  Twelve-mile  Creek,  for  the  purpose  of  locating  himself 
there,  and  was  in  pursuit  of  a  hired  man,  who  had  gone  olf,  with 
some  articles  of  his  property,  the  night  previous.  With  this  re- 
lation, and  a  boshu^  for  the  natives,  with  whom  we  had  no  means 
of  conversing,  we  continued  our  way,  without  further  incident,  to 
Duck  Creek,  a  distance  of  ten  miles.  We  here  struck  the  path, 
which  is  one  of  the  boundary  lines,  in  the  recent  purchase  from 
the  Winnebagoes.  It  is  a  deeply  marked  horse  path,  cutting 
quite  through  the  prairie  sod,  and  so  much  used  by  the  natives  as 
to  prevent  grass  from  gro\ving  on  it ;  in  this  respect,  it  is  as  well- 
defined  a  landmark  as  "blazed  tree,"  or  "saddle."  The  sur- 
veyor appointed  to  run  out  the  lines,  had  placed  mile-posts  on  the 
route,  but  the  Winnebagoes,  with  a  prejudice  against  the  practice 
which  is  natural,  pulled  up  many,  and  defaced  others.  When 
we  had  gone  ten  miles  further,  we  began  to  see  the  glittering  of 
water  through  the  trees,  and  we  soon  found  ourselves  on  the 
margin  of  a  clear  lake.  I  heard  no  name  for  this  handsome 
sheet  of  water.  It  is  one  of  the  four  lakes,  which  are  connected 
with  each  other  by  a  stream,  and  have  their  outlet  into  Eock 
Eiver,  through  a  tributary  called  the  Guskihaw.  We  drove 
through  the  margin  of  it,  where  the  shores  were  sandy,  and  in- 
numerable small  unio  shells  were  driven  up.  Most  of  these 
small  pieces  appeared  to  be  helices.  Standing  tent-poles,  and 
other  remains  of  Indian  encampments,  appeared  at  this  place.  A 
rock  stratum,  dark  and  weather-beaten,  apparently  sandstone, 
jutted  out  into  the  lake.  A  little  further,  we  passed  to  the  left  of 
an  abandoned  village.  By  casting  our  eyes  across  the  lake,  we 
observed  the  new  position  which  had  been  selected  and  occupied 
by  the  Winnebagoes.  We  often  assign  wrong  motives,  when  we 
undertake  to  reason  for  the  Indian  race ;  but  in  the  present  in- 
stance, we  may  presume  that  their  removal  was  influenced  by 
too  near  a  position  to  the  boundary  path. 

We  drove  to  the  second  brook,  beyond  the  lake,  and  encamped. 

Comfort  in  an  encampment  depends  very  much  upon  getting  a 

*  This  term  is  in  use  by  the  Algic  or  Algonquin  tribes,  particiilarly  by  tlie 
Chippewas.  The  Winnebagoes,  -who  have  no  equivalent  for  it,  are  generally  ac- 
quainted with  it,  although  I  am  not  aware  that  they  have,  to  any  extent,  adopted 
it.     It  has  been  supposed  to  be  derived  from  the  French  bon  jour. 


APPENDIX.  571 

good  fire.  In  this  we  totally  failed  last  night,  owing  to  our  having 
but  a  small  piece  of  spunk,  which  ignited  and  burned  out  without 
inflaming  our  kindling  materials.  The  atmosphere  was  damp, 
but  not  sufficiently  cooled  to  quiet  the  ever-busy  mosquito.  Mr. 
B.  deemed  it  a  hardship  that  he  could  not  boil  the  kettle,  so  as  to 
have  the  addition  of  tea  to  our  cold  repast.  I  reminded  him  that 
there  was  a  bright  moon,  and  that  it  did  not  rain ;  and  that,  for 
myself,  I  had  fared  so  decidedly  worse,  on  former  occasions,  that 
I  was  quite  contented  with  the  light  of  the  moon  and  a  dry 
blanket.  By  raising  up  and  putting  a  fork  under  the  wagon- 
tongue,  and  spreading  our  tent-cloth  over  it,  I  found  the  means 
of  insulating  ourselves  from  the  insect  hordes,  but  it  was  not  until 
I  had  pitched  my  mosquito  net  within  it  that  we  found  repose. 

On  awaking  in  the  morning  (20th),  we  found  H.,  who  had 
passed  us  the  day  before  in  company  with  the  Winnebagoes,  lying 
under  the  wagon.  He  had  returned  from  pursuing  the  fugitive, 
and  had  overtaken  vis,  after  twelve  o'clock  at  night.  He  com- 
plained of  being  cold.  We  admitted  him  into  the  wagon,  and 
drove  on  to  reach  his  camp  at  Twelve-mile  Creek.  In  crossing 
what  he  denominated  Seven-mile  Prairie,  I  observed  on  our  right 
a  prominent  wall  of  rock,  surmounted  with  image-stones.  The 
rock  itself  consisted  of  sandstone.  Elongated  water-worn  masses 
of  stone  had  been  set  up,  so  as  to  resemble,  at  a  distance,  the 
figures  of  men.  The  illusion  had  been  strengthened  by  some 
rude  paints.  This  had  been  the  serious  or  the  sportive  work  of 
Indians.  It  is  not  to  be  inferred,  hence,  that  the  Winnebagoes 
are  idolaters.  But  there  is  a  strong  tendency  to  idolatry  in  the 
minds  of  the  North  American  Indians.  They  do  not  bow  before 
a  carved  image,  shaped  like  Dagon  or  Juggernaut ;  but  they  rely 
upon  their  guardian  spirits,  or  personal  manitos,  for  aid  in  exi- 
gencies, and  impute  to  the  skins  of  animals,  which  are  preserved 
with  religious  care,  the  power  of  gods.  Their  medicine  institution 
is  also  a  gross  and  bold  system  of  semi-deification  connected  with 
magic,  witchcraft,  and  necromancy.  Their  jossakeeds  are  impos- 
tors and  jugglers  of  the  grossest  stamp.  Their  wabenos  address 
Satan  directly  for  power;  and  their  metais,  who  appear  to  be  least 
idolatrous,  rely  more  upon  the  invisible  agency  of  spirits  and 
magic  influence,  than  upon  the  physical  properties  of  the  medi- 
cines they  exhibit. 


572  APPENDIX. 

On  reaching  Twelve-mile  Creek,  we  found  a  yoke  of  steers  of 
H.,  in  a  pen,  which  had  been  tied  there  two  days  and  nights  with- 
out water.  He  evinced,  however,  an  obliging  disposition,  and, 
after  refreshing  ourselves  and  our  horses,  we  left  him  to  complete 
the  labors  of  a  "local  habitation."  The  intermediate  route  to 
Fort  Winnebago  afforded  few  objects  of  either  physical  or  mental 
interest.  The  upland  soil,  which  had  become  decidedly  thinner 
and  more  arenaceous,  after  reaching  the  Lake,  appears  to  increase 
in  sterility  on  approaching  the  "Wisconsin.  And  the  occurrence 
of  lost  rocks  (primitive  boulders),  as  Mr.  B.  happily  termed  them, 
which  are  first  observed  after  passing  the  Blue  Mound,  becomes 
more  frequent  in  this  portion  of  the  country,  denoting  our  ap- 
proach to  the  borders  of  the  northwestern  primitive  formation. 
This  formation,  we  have  now  reason  to  conclude,  extends  in  an 
angle,  so  far  south  as  to  embrace  a  part  of  Fos  River,  above 
Apukwa  Lake. 

Anticipated  difficulties  always  appear  magnified.  This  we  veri- 
fied in  crossing  Duck  Creek,  near  its  entrance  into  the  Wisconsin. 
We  found  the  adjoining  bog  nearly  dry,  and  drove  through  the 
stream  without  the  water  entering  into  the  body  of  the  wagon. 
It  here  commenced  raining.  Having  but  four  miles  to  make,  and 
that  a  level  prairie,  we  pushed  on.  But  the  rain  increased,  and 
poured  down  steadily  and  incessantly  till  near  sunset.  In  the 
midst  of  this  rain-storm  we  reached  the  fort,  about  one  o'clock, 
and  crossed  over  to  the  elevated  ground  occupied  by  the  Indian 
Department,  where  my  sojourn,  while  awaiting  the  expedition, 
was  rendered  as  comfortable  as  the  cordial  greeting  and  kind 
attention  of  Mr.  Kinzie,  the  agent,  and  his  intelligent  family,  could 
make  it. 

A  recapitulation  of  the  distances  from  Galena  makes  the  route 
as  follows,  viz :  Gratiot's  Grove,  fifteen  miles ;  ^Villow  Springs, 
fifteen ;  Mineral  Point,  seven ;  Dodgeville,  nine ;  Porter's  Grove, 
nine ;  Blue  Mound,  nine ;  Duck  Creek,  ten ;  Lake,  ten ;  Twelve- 
mile  Creek,  twenty-four;  Crossing  of  Duck  Creek,  eight;  and 
Fort  Winnebago,  four ;  total,  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles. 

H.  R.  S. 
To  Geoege  p.  Morris,  Esq.,  New  York. 


APPENDIX.  573 


3.   Official  Refport  of  the  Exploratory  Expedition  to  the  Actual  Source 
of  the  Mississippi  River  in  1832, 


Office  of  the  Indian  Agency  of  Sault  Ste.  Marie, 

Sept.  1,  1832. 


} 


Sir  :  I  bad  the  honor  to  inform  you,  on  the  15th  ultimo,  of  my 
return  from  the  sources  of  the  Mississippi,  and  that  I  should  com- 
municate the  details  of  my  observations  to  you  as  soon  as  they 
could  be  prepared. 

On  reaching  the  remotest  point  visited  heretofore  by  official 
authority,  I  found  that  the  waters  on  that  summit  were  favorable 
to  my  tracing  this  river  to  its  "utmost  sources.  This  point  having 
been  left  undetermined  by  prior  expeditions,  I  determined  to 
avail  myself  of  the  occasion  to  take  Indian  guides,  with  light 
canoes,  and,  after  encamping  my  heavy  force,  to  make  the  ascent. 
It  was  represented  to  be  practicable  in  five  days.  I  accomplished 
it,  by  great  diligence,  in  three.  The  distance  is  158  miles  above 
Cass  Lake.  There  are  many  sharp  rapids,  which  made  the  trial 
severe.     The  river  expands  into  numerous  lakes. 

After  passing  about  forty  miles  north  of  Eed  Cedar  Lake,  during 
which  we  ascended  a  summit,  I  entered  a  fine  large  lake,  which, 
to  avoid  repetitions  in  our  geographical  names,  I  called  Queen 
Anne's  Lake.  From  this  point  the  ascent  of  the  Mississippi  was 
due  south ;  and  it  was  finally  found  to  have  its  origin  in  a  hand- 
some lake,  of  some  seven  miles  in  extent,  on  the  height  of  land 
to  which  I  gave  the  name  of  Itasca. 

This  lake  lies  in  latitude  47°  13'  25".  It  lies  at  an  altitude  of 
1,575  feet,  by  the  barometer,  above  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  It  affords 
me  satisfaction  to  say,  that,  by  this  discover}'-,  the  geographical 
point  of  the  origin  of  this  river  is  definitely  fixed.  Materials 
for  map's  and  plans  of  the  entire  route  have  been  carefully  col- 
lected by  Lieut.  James  Allen,  of  the  U.  S.  Army,  who  accom- 
panied me,  with  a  small  detachment  of  infantry,  as  high  as 
Cass  Lake ;  and,  having  encamped  them  at  that  point,  with  my 
extra  men,  he  proceeded  with  me  to  Itasca  Lake.  The  distance 
which  is  thus  added  to  the  Mississippi,  agreeably  to  him,  is 
164  miles,  making  its  entire  length,  by  the  most  authentic  esti- 


674  APPENDIX. 

mates,  to  be  3,200  miles.  In  this  distance  there  are  numerous 
and  arduous  rapids,  in  which  the  total  amount  of  ascent  to  be 
overcome  is  173  feet. 

Councils  were  held  with  the  Indians  at  Fond  du  Lac,  at  Sandy 
Lake,  Cass  Lake,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Great  De  Corbeau  Kiver,  &c. 
In  returning,  I  visited  the  military  bands  at  Leech  Lake  ;  pass- 
ing from  thence  to  its  source,  and  descending  the  whole  length  of 
the  Crow-wing  Eiver,  and  thence  to  St.  Anthony's  Falls,  I 
assembled  the  Sioux  at  the  agency  of  St.  Peter's,  and  at  the  Little 
Crow's  village.  The  Chippewas  of  the  St.  Croix  and  Broule  Elvers 
were  particularly  visited.  Many  thousands  of  the  Chippewa  and 
Sioux  nations  were  seen  and  counselled  with,  including  their  most 
distinguished  chiefs  and  warriors.  Everywhere  they  disclaimed  a 
connection  with  Black  Hawk  and  his  schemes.  I  left  the  Missis- 
sippi, about  forty  miles  above  the  point  where,  in  a  few  days,  the 
Sauk  chief  was  finally  captured  and  his  forces  overthrown ;  and, 
reaching  the  waters  of  Lake  Superior,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Brule, 
returned  from  that  point  to  the  agency  at  Sault  de  Ste.  Marie. 

The  flag  of  the  Union  has  secured  respect  from  the  tribes  at 
every  point ;  and  I  feel  confident  in  declaring  the  Chippewas  and 
Sioux,  as  tribes,  unconnected  with  the  Black  Hawk  movement. 
I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully. 
Your  obedient  servant, 

HENKY  R.  SCHOOLCRAFT, 

U.  S.  Ind.  Agent. 
C.  Herring,  Esq.,  Commissioner  of  Indian  \ 
Affairs.  j 


IV. 
VACCINATION   OF  THE   INDIANS. 

4.  Report  of  the  number  and  position  of  the  Indians  vaccinated  on  the 
Exploratory  Uxpedition  to  the  Sources  of  the  Mississippi,  conducted 
hy  Mr.  Schoolcraft,  in  1832,    By  Dr.  Douglass  Houghton. 

Sault  Ste.  Marie,  Sept.  21,  1832. 
Sir:  In  conformity  with  your  instructions,  I  take  the  earliest 
opportunity  to  lay  before  you  such  facts  as  I  have  collected, 
touching  the  vaccination  of  the  Chippewa  Indians,  during  the 


APPENDIX.  675 

progress  of  the  late  expedition  into  tlicir  country:  and  also  "of 
the  prevalence,  from  time  to  time,  of  tlic  smallpox"  among  them. 

The  accompanying  tabic  will  serve  to  illustrate  the  "  ages,  sex, 
tribe,  and  local  situation"  of  those  Indians  who  have  been  vacci- 
nated by  me.  With  the  view  of  illustrating  more  fully  their  local 
situation,  I  have  arranged  those  bands  residing  upon  the  shores 
of  Lake  Superior;  those  residing  in  the  Folle  Avoine  country 
(or  that  section  of  country  lying  between  the  highlands  southwest 
from  Lake  Superior,  and  the  Mississippi  Eiver) ;  and  those  resid- 
ing near  the  sources  of  the  Mississippi  Eiver,  separately. 

Nearly  all  the  Indians  noticed  in  this  table  were  vaccinated  at 
their  respective  villages;  yet  I  did  not  fail  to  vaccinate  those 
whom  we  chanced  to  meet  in  their  hunting  or  other  excursions. 

I  have  embraced,  with  the  Indians  of  the  frontier  bands,  those 
half-breeds,  who,  in  consequence  of  having  adopted  more  or  less 
the  habits  of  the  Indian,  may  be  identified  with  him. 

But  little  difiiculty  has  occurred  in  convincing  the  Indians  of 
the  efficacy  of  vaccination ;  and  the  universal  dread  in  which  thev 
hold  the  appearance  of  the  smallpox  among  them,  rendered  it  an 
easy  task  to  overcome  their  prejudices,  whatever  they  chanced  to 
be.  The  efficacy  of  the  vaccine  disease  is  well  appreciated,  even 
by  the  most  interior  of  the  Chippewa  Indians;  and  so  universal  is 
this  information,  that  only  one  instance  occurred  where  the  Indian 
had  never  heard  of  the  disease. 

In  nearly  every  instance  the  opportunity  which  was  presented 
for  vaccination,  was  embraced  with  cheerfulness  and  apparent 
gratitude ;  at  the  same  time  manifesting  great  anxiety  that,  for 
the  safety  of  the  whole,  each  one  of  the  band  should  undergo  the 
operation.  "When  objections  were  made  to  vaccination,  they  were 
not  usually  made  because  the  Indian  doubted  the  protective  power 
of  the  disease,  but  because  he  supposed  (never  having  seen  its 
progress),  that  the  remedy  must  nearly  equal  the  disease  which  it 
was  intended  to  counteract. 

Our  situation,  while  travelling,  did  not  allow  me  sufficient  time 
to  test  the  result  of  the  vaccination  in  most  instances ;  but  an  oc- 
casional return  to  bands  where  the  operation  had  been  performed, 
enabled  me,  in  those  bands,  either  to  note  the  progress  of  the  dis- 
ease, or  to  judge  from  the  cicatrices  marking  the  original  situa- 
tion of  the  pustules,  the  cases  in  which  the  disease  had  proved 
successful. 


576 


APPENDIX. 


•l«tox 

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1-^  0-1  01               -^ 

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CO                 CO  CI 
1-1                        CI 

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1 '%  ^-'^  '  § 

'^r-      S      2    •3'=' 

M  O  Ul  O  hJ  fc( 

2 

PS 

b. 
& 

< 

'  Lac  du  Flambeau 
Ottowa  Lake      .     . 
Yellow  River     . 
Nama  Kowagun  of 

Croix  River    , 
Snake  River 

'  Sandy  Lake  .     . 
Lake  Winnipeg 
Cass,    or   Upper    '. 

Cedar  Lake    . 
Leech  Lake  .     . 

Lake  Superior 

Folle  Avoine  Country 

Sources  of  the  Mississ 

is 

M  o 

E>H 

Sources  of  the 
Mississippi     ■ 

RiVEK 

APPENDIX.  577 

About  one-fourtli  of  the  wliole  number  were  vaccinated  directly 
from  tlie  pustules  of  patients  laboring  under  tlie  disease ;  while 
the  remaining  three-fourths  were  vaccinated  from  crusts,  or  from 
virus  which  had  been  several  days  on  hand,  I  did  not  pass  by  a 
single  opportunity  for  securing  the  crusts  and  virus  from  the 
arms  of  healthy  patients;  and  to  avoid,  as  far  as  possible,  the 
chance  of  giving  rise  to  a  disease  of  a  spurious  kind,  I  invariably 
made  use  of  those  crusts  and  that  virus,  for  the  purposes  of  vacci- 
nation, which  had  been  most  recently  obtained.  To  secure,  as 
far  as  possible,  against  the  chances  of  escaping  the  vaccine  disease, 
I  invariably  vaccinated  in  each  arm. 

Of  the  whole  number  of  Indians  vaccinated,  I  have  either 
watched  the  progress  of  the  disease,  or  examined  the  cicatrices  of 
about  seven  hundred.  An  average  of  one  in  three  of  those  vac- 
cinated from  crusts  has  failed,  while  of  those  vaccinated  directly 
from  the  arm  of  a  person  laboring  under  the  disease,  not  more 
than  one  in  twenty  has  failed  to  take  effect — when  the  disease  did 
not  make  its  appearance  after  vaccination,  I  have  invariably,  as 
the  cases  came  under  my  examination,  revaccinated  until  a  favor- 
able result  has  been  obtained. 

Of  the  difierent  bands  of  Indians  vaccinated,  a  large  proportion 
of  the  following  have,  as  an  actual  examination  has  shown,  under- 
gone thoroughly  the  effects  of  the  disease ;  viz  :  Sault  Ste.  Marie, 
Keweena  Bay,  La  Pointe,  and  Cass  Lake,  being  seven  hundred 
and  fifty-one  in  number ;  while  of  the  remaining  thirteen  hundred 
and  seventy-eight,  of  other  bands,  I  think  it  may  safely  be  calcu- 
lated that  more  than  three-fourths  have  passed  effectually  under 
the  influence  of  the  vaccine  disease :  and  as  directions  to  revac- 
cinate  all  those  in  whom  the  disease  failed,  together  with  in- 
structions as  to  time  and  manner  of  vaccination,  were  given  to 
the  chiefs  of  the  different  bands,  it  is  more  than  probable  that, 
where  the  bands  remained  together  a  sufficient  length  of  time, 
the  operation  of  revaccination  has  been  performed  by  themselves. 

Upon  our  return  to  Lake  Superior,  I  had  reason  to  suspect,  on 
examining  several  cicatrices,  that  two  of  the  crusts  furnished  by 
the  surgeon-general,  in  consequence  of  a  partial  decomposition, 
gave  rise  to  a  spurious  disease,  and  these  suspicions  were  con- 
firmed when  revaccinating  with  genuine  vaccine  matter,  when 
the  true  disease  was  communicated.  Nearly  all  those  Indians 
37 


578  APPENDIX. 

vaccinated  with  those  two  crusts,  have  been  vaccinated,  and 
passed  regularly  though  the  vaccine  disease. 

The  answers  to  ray  repeated  inquiries  respecting  the  intro- 
duction, progress,  and  fatality  of  the  smallpox,  would  lead  me  to 
infer  that  the  disease  has  made  its  appearance  at  least  five  times, 
among  the  bands  of  Chippewa  Indians  noticed  in  the  accompany- 
ing table  of  vaccination. 

The  smallpox  appears  to  have  been  wholly  unknown  to  the 
Chippewas  of  Lake  Superior  until  about  1750  ;  when  a  war-party, 
of  more  than  one  hundred  young  men,  from  the  bands  resident 
near  the  head  of  the  lake,  having  visited  Montreal  for  the  purpose 
of  assisting  the  French  in  their  then  existing  troubles  with  the 
English,  became  infected  with  the  disease,  and  but  few  of  the 
party  survived  to  reach  their  homes.  It  does  not  appear,  although 
they  made  a  precipitate  retreat  to  their  own  country,  that  the 
disease  was  at  this  time  communicated  to  any  others  of  the  tribe. 

About  the  year  1770,  the  disease  appeared  a  second  time 
among  the  Chippewas,  but,  unlike  that  which  preceded  it,  it  was 
communicated  to  the  more  northern  bands. 

Tlie  circumstances  connected  with  its  introduction  are  related 
nearly  as  follows  : — 

Some  time  in  the  fall  of  1767  or  8,  a  trader  who  had  ascended 
the  Mississippi,  and  established  himself  near  Leech  Lake,  was 
robbed  of  his  goods  by  the  Indians  residing  at  that  lake ;  and, 
in  consequence  of  his  exertions  in  defending  his  property,  he  died 
soon  after. 

These  facts  became  known  to  the  directors  of  the  Fur  Com- 
pany, at  Mackinac;  and,  each  successive  year  after,  requests  were 
sent  to  the  Leech  Lake  Indians,  that  they  should  visit  Mackinac, 
and  make  reparation  for  the  goods  they  had  taken,  by  a  payment 
of  furs,  at  the  same  time  threatening  p\mishment  in  case  of  a 
refusal.  In  the  spring  of  1770,  the  Indians  saw  fit  to  comply 
with  this  request;  and  a  deputation  from  the  band  visited  Macki- 
nac, with  a  quantity  of  furs,  which  they  considered  an  equivalent 
for  the  goods  which  had  been  taken.  The  deputation  was 
received  with  politeness  by  the  directors  of  the  Company,  and  the 
difficulties  readily  adjusted,  ^yhen  this  was  effected,  a  cask  of 
liquor  and  a  flag  closely  rolled  were  presented  to  the  Indians  as  a 
token  of  friendship.    They  were  at  the  same  time  strictly  enjoined 


APPENDIX.  579 

neither  to  break  the  seal  of  the  cask  nor  to  unroll  tlie  flag,  until 
they  had  reached  the  heart  of  their  own  country.  This  they 
promised  to  observe ;  but  while  returning,  and  after  having 
travelled  many  days,  the  chief  of  the  deputation  made  a  feast  for 
the  Indians  of  the  band  at  Fond  du  Lac,  Lake  Superior,  upon 
which  occasion  he  unsealed  the  cask  and  unrolled  the  flag  for 
the  gratification  of  his  guests.  The  Indians  drank  of  the  liquor, 
and  remained  in  a  state  of  inebriation  during  several  days.  The 
rioting  was  over,  and  they  were  fast  recovering  from  its  effects, 
■when  several  of  the  party  were  seized  with  violent  pain.  This 
Avas  attributed  to  the  liquor  they  had  drunk;  but  the  pain  increas- 
ing, they  were  induced  to  drink  deeper  of  the  poisonous  drug,  and 
in  this  inebriated  state  several  of  the  party  died,  before  the  real 
cause  was  suspected.  Other  like  cases  occurred ;  and  it  was  not 
long  before  one  of  the  war-party  who  had  visited  Montreal  in 
1750,  and  who  had  narrowly  escaped  with  his  life,  recognized  the 
disease  as  the  same  which  had  attacked  their  party  at  that  time. 
It  proved  to  be  so ;  and  of  those  Indians  then  at  Fond  du  Lac, 
about  three  hundred  in  number,  nearly  the  whole  were  swept  off 
by  it.  Nor  did  it  stop  here ;  for  numbers  of  those  at  Fond  du  Lac, 
at  the  time  the  disease  made  its  appearance,  took  refuge  among 
the  neighboring  bands;  and  although  it  did  not  extend  easterly  on 
Lake  Superior,  it  is  believed  that  not  a  single  band  of  Chippewas 
north  or  west  from  Fond  du  Lac  escaped  its  ravages.  Of  a  large 
band  then  resident  at  Cass  Lake,  near  the  source  of  the  Mississippi 
Eiver,  only  one  person,  a  child,  escaped.  The  others  having  been 
attacked  by  the  disease,  died  before  any  opportunity  for  dispersing 
was  offered.  The  Indians  at  this  day  are  firmly  of  the  opinion 
that  the  smallpox  was  at  this  time  communicated  through  the 
articles  presented  to  their  brethren  by  the  agent  of  the  Fur  Com- 
pany at  Mackinac ;  and  that  it  was  done  for  the  purpose  of  pun- 
ishing them  more  severely  for  their  offences. 

The  most  western  bands  of  Chippewas  relate  a  singular  allegory 
of  the  introduction  of  the  smallpox  into  their  country  by  a  war- 
party,  returning  from  the  plains  of  the  Missouri,  as  nearl}^  as  in- 
formation will  enable  me  to  judge,  in  the  year  1784.  It  does  not 
appear  that,  at  this  time,  the  disease  extended  to  the  bands  east  of 
Fond  du  Lac;  but  it  is  represented  to  have  been  extremely  flital 
to  those  bands  north  and  west  from  there. 


580  APPENDIX. 

In  1802  or  3,  the  smallpox  made  its  appearance  among  the  In- 
dians residing  at  the  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  but  did  not  extend  to  the 
bands  west  from  that  place.  The  disease  was  introduced  by  a  voy- 
ager, in  the  employ  of  the  Northwest  Fur  Company,  who  had  just 
returned  from  Montreal;  and  although  all  communication  Avith 
him  was  prohibited,  an  Indian  imprudently  having  made  him  a 
visit,  was  infected  with  and  transmitted  the  disease  to  others  of 
the  band.  When  once  communicated,  it  raged  with  great  vio- 
lence, and  of  a  large  band  scarcely  one  of  those  then  at  the  village 
survived,  and  the  unburied  bones  still  remain,  marking  the  situa- 
tion they  occupied.  From  this  band  the  infection  was  communi- 
cated to  a  band  residing  upon  St.  Joseph's  Island,  and  many  died 
of  it ;  but  the  surgeon  of  the  military  post  then  there,  succeeded, 
by  judicious  and  early  measures,  in  checking  it  before  the  infec- 
tion became  general. 

In  1824,  the  smallpox  again  made  its  appearance  among  the 
Indians  at  the  Sault  Ste.  Marie.  It  was  communicated  by  a  voy- 
ager to  the  Indians  npon  Drummond's  Island,  Lake  Huron;  and 
throuo;h  them  several  families  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie  became  infected. 
Of  those  belonging  to  the  latter  place,  more  than  twenty  in  num- 
ber, only  two  escaped.  The  disease  is  represented  to  have  been 
extremely  fatal  to  the  Indians  at  Drummond's  Island. 

Since  1824,  the  smallpox  is  not  known  to  have  appeared 
among  the  Indians  at  the  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  nor  among  the  Chip- 
pewas  north  or  west  from  that  place.  But  the  Indians  of  these 
bands  still  tremble  at  the  bare  name  of  a  disease  which  (next  to 
the  compounds  of  alcohol)  has  been  one  of  the  greatest  scourges 
that  has  ever  overtaken  them  since  their  first  communication 
with  the  whites.  The  disease,  w^hen  once  communicated  to  a 
band  of  Indians,  rages  with  a  violence  wholly  unknown  to  the 
civilized  man.  The  Indian,  guided  by  present  feeling,  adopts  a 
course  of  treatment  (if  indeed  it  deserves  that  appellation)  which 
not  unfrequently  arms  the  disease  with  new  power.  An  attack 
is  but  a  warning  to  the  poor  and  helpless  patient  to  prepare  for 
death,  which  will  almost  assuredly  soon  follow.  His  situation 
under  these  circumstances  is  truly  deplorable ;  for  while  in  a 
state  that  even,  with  proper  advice,  he  would  of  himself  recover, 
he  adds  fresh  fuel  to  the  flame  which  is  already  consuming  him, 
Tinder   the  delusive  hope    of  gaining   relief.     The   intoxicating 


APPENDIX,  581 

draught  (wlicn  it  is  witliin  Ins  reach)  is  not  among  the  last  reme- 
dies to  which  he  resorts,  to  produce  a  lethargy  from  which  he  is 
never  to  recover.  Were  the  friends  of  the  sick  man,  even  under 
these  circumstances,  enabled  to  attend  him,  his  sufferings  might 
be,  at  least,  somewhat  mitigated;  but  they  too  are,  perhaps,  in  a 
similar  situation,  and  themselves  without  even  a  single  person  to 
minister  to  their  wants.  Death  comes  to  the  poor  invalid,  and, 
perhaps,  even  as  a  welcome  guest,  to  rid  him  of  his  suffering. 

By  a  comparison  of  the  number  of  Indians  vaccinated  upon 
the  borders  of  Lake  Superior  with  the  actual  population,  it  will  be 
seen  that  the  proportion  who  have  passed  through  the  vaccine 
disease  is  so  great  as  to  secure  them  against  any  general  pi^eva- 
lence  of  the  smallpox;  and  perhaps  it  is  sufficient  to  prevent  the 
introduction  of  the  disease  to  the  bands  beyond,  through  this 
channel.  But  in  the  Folic  Avoine  country  it  is  not  so.  Of  the 
large  bands  of  Indians  residing  in  that  section  of  country,  only  a 
small  fraction  have  been  vaccinated;  while  of  other  bands,  not  a 
single  person  has  passed  through  the  disease. 

Their  local  situation  undoubtedly  renders  it  of  the  first  import- 
ance that  the  benefits  of  vaccination  should  be  extended  to  them. 
Their  situation  may  be  said  to  render  them  a  connecting  link 
between  the  southern  and  northwestern  bands  of  Chippewas ; 
and  while  on  the  south  they  are  liable  to  receive  the  virus  of  the 
smallpox  from  the  whites  and  Indians,  the  passage  of  the  disease 
through  them  to  their  more  northern  brethren  would  only  be 
prevented  by  their  remaining,  at  that  time,  completely  separated. 
Every  motive  of  humanity  towards  the  suffering  Indian,  would 
lead  to  extend  to  him  this  protection  against  a  disease  he  holds  in 
constant  dread,  and  of  which  he  knows,  by  sad  experience,  the 
fatal  effects.  The  protection  he  will  prize  highly,  and  will  give 
in  return  the  only  boon  a  destitute  man  is  capable  of  giving;  the 
deep-felt  gratitude  of  an  overflowing  heart. 
I  have  the  honour  to  be, 

Very  respectfully,  sir. 

Your  obedient  servant, 

DOUGLASS  HOUGHTON. 

Henry  E.  Schoolcraft,  Esq., 

U.  S.  Ltd.  Agt,  Sault  de  Sle.  Marie. 


582 


APPENDIX. 


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APPENDIX.  583 


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c?      -^-^    «    P    rt    >    ^  =-  .-  j- 

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584: 


APPENDIX. 


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APPENDIX. 


585 


o  o  o  >o  o 

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tDOCOCOOl^t^l^  I^l— 


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p4o;i;i^;s     o^W         K  Ps  ?=  cc  oj  J^;  p^  pa 


586 


APPENDIX. 


TABLE  OF  GEOGRAPHICAL  POSITIONS— Continued. 
Regions  of  the  Soueces  of  the  Mississippi. 


WEST  OF  GREENWICH. 

Altitudes 

Jv 

''orth 

Authori- 

PLACES OF  observation. 

ibove  the 

latitudes. 

Longi- 

Longi- 

ties, &c. 

Gulf  of 

tudes  in 

tudes  in 

Mexico. 

time. 

arc. 

Gfiyasbk   River,  or  Little  Gull 

Feci. 

0 

/     // 

h.    m.    s. 

o         /         // 

River,  tlie  mouth  . 

1,131 

16 

18  60 

6  17  44 

94  26  00 

Nicollet. 

Gayashk   Lake,   or   Little  Gull 

Lake,  end  of  Long  Point 

1,152 

16 

24  28 

6  17  30 

94  22  30 

do. 

Kadicomeg  Lake,  or  Wbite-Fish 

Lake,   the    entrance    of  Pine 

River 

1,192 

16 

40  25 

6  16  10 

94     2  30 

do. 

Lake  Chancbe,  southwest  end    . 

46 

46  35 

do. 

Lake  Eccleston.  northwest  end 

46 

57  00 

do. 

Leech  Lake,  Otter-tail  Point 

1,380 

47 

11  40 

6  17  20 

94  20  00 

do. 

Leech  Lake,   the   bay  opposite 

Otter-tail  Point      . 

47 

7  2''' 

6  17  28 

94  22  00 

do. 

Kabekonang  River,  the  junction 

of  the  upper  fork,  near  the 

next-mentioned  portage 

1,406 

47 

16  00 

... 

... 

do. 

Portage  from  Kabekonang  River 

to  La  Place  River,  near  the 

west  end        .... 

1,540 

47 

15  00 

do. 

Assawa  Lake,  below  the  south 

end        ..... 

1,532 

47 

12  10 

6  19  40 

94  55  00 

do. 

Highest  ridge    on   the    portage 

between    Assawa    Lake    and 

Itasca  Lake  .... 

1,695 

do. 

Cleared   pine   camp,    on   Leech 

Lake  River    .... 

47 

18  00 

6  16  00 

94  00  00 

do. 

APPENDIX.  587 

5.  SCENERY. 
X. 

(a)  Scenery  of  LaJce  Superior.     By  Henky  E.  Schoolckaft. 

^e^y  portions  of  America  can  vie  in  scenic  attractions  with  this 
interior  sea.  Its  size  alone  gives  it  all  the  elements  of  grandeur; 
but  these  have  been  heightened  by  the  mountain  masses  which 
nature  has  piled,  along  its  shores.  In  some  places,  these  masses 
consist  of  vast  walls,  of  coarse  gray,  or  drab-colored  sandstone, 
placed  horizontally,  until  they  have  attained  many  hundred  feet 
in  height  above  the  water.  The  action  of  such  an  immense  liquid 
area,  forced  against  these  crumbling  walls  by  tempests,  has  caused 
wide  and  deep  arches  to  be  worn  into  the  solid  structure,  at  their 
base,  into  which  the  billows  roll,  with  a  noise  resembling  low- 
pealing  thunder.  By  this  means,  large  areas  of  the  impending 
mass  are  at  length  undermined  and  precipitated  into  the  lake, 
leaving  the  split  and  rent  parts,  from  which  they  have  separated, 
standing  like  huge  misshapen  turrets  and  battlements.  Such  is 
the  varied  coast,  called  the  Pictured  Eocks. 

At  other  points  of  the  coast,  volcanic  forces  have  operated, 
lifting  up  these  level  strata  into  positions  nearly  vertical,  and 
leaving  them  to  stand,  like  the  leaves  of  a  vast  open  book.  At 
the  same  time,  the  volcanic  rocks  sent  up  from  below,  have  risen 
in  high  mountains,  with  ancient  gaping  craters.  Such  is  the  con- 
dition of  the  disturbed  stratification  at  the  Porcupine  Mountains. 
The  basin  and  bed  of  this  lake  act  like  a  vast  geological  mor- 
tar, in  which  the  masses  of  broken  and  fallen  stones  are  whirled 
about  and  ground  down,  till  all  the  softer  ones,  such  as  the  sand- 
stones, are  brought  into  the  state  of  pure  yellow  sand.  This  sand 
is  driven  ashore  by  the  waves,  where  it  is  shoved  up  in  long 
wreaths,  and  dried  by  the  sun.  The  winds  now  take  it  up,  and 
spread  it  inland,  or  pile  it  immediately  along  the  coast,  where  it 
presents  itself  in  mountain  masses.  Such  are  the  great  sand 
dunes  of  the  Grande  Sables. 

There  are  yet  other  theatres  of  action  for  this  sublime  mass  of 
inland  waters,  where  the  lake  has  manifested,  perhaps,  still  more 
strongly,  its  abrasive  powers.   The  whole  force  of  its  waters,  under 


588  APPENDIX. 

the  impulse  of  a  northwest  tempest,  is  directed  against  prominent 
portions  of  the  shore,  which  consist  of  black  and  hard  volcanic 
rocks.  Solid  as  these  are,  the  waves  have  found  an  entrance  in 
veins  of  spar,  or  minerals  of  softer  texture,  and  have  thus  been 
led  on  their  devastating  course  inland,  tearing  np  large  fields  of 
amygdaloid,  or  other  rock;  or,  left  portions  of  them  standing  in 
rugged  knobs,  or  promontories.  Such  are  the  east  and  west  coasts 
of  the  great  peninsula  of  Keweena,  which  have  recently  become 
the  theatre  of  mining  operations. 

"When  the  visitor  to  these  remote  and  boundless  waters  comes 
to  see  this  wide  and  varied  scene  of  complicated  geological  dis- 
turbances and  scenic  magnificence,  he  is  absorbed  in  wonder  and 
astonishment.  The  eye,  once  introduced  to  this  panorama  of 
waters,  is  never  done  looking  and  admiring.  Scene  after  scene, 
cliff  after  cliff,  island  after  island,  and  vista  after  vista  are  pre- 
sented. One  day's  scenes  of  the  traveller  are  but  the  prelude  to 
another;  and  when  weeks,  and  even  months,  have  been  spent  in 
picturesque  rambles  along  its  shores,  he  has  only  to  ascend  some 
of  its  streams,  and  go  inland  a  few  miles,  to  find  falls,  and  cas- 
cades, and  cataracts  of  the  most  beautiful  or  masrnificent  character. 
Go  where  he  will,  there  is  something  to  attract  him.  Beneath  his 
feet  are  pebbles  of  agates ;  the  water  is  of  the  most  crj^stalline 
purity.  The  sky  is  filled,  at  sunset  with  the  most  gorgeous  piles 
of  clouds.  The  air  itself  is  of  the  purest  and  most  inspiring 
kind.  To  visit  such  a  scene  is  to  draw  health  from  its  purest 
sources,  and  while  the  eye  revels  in  intellectual  delights,  the  soul 
is  filled  with  the  liveliest  symbols  of  God,  and  the  most  striking 
evidences  of  his  creative  power. 

(b)  Letters  of  Mr.  If.  ]Voolser/.     Southern  Literary  Messenger^  1836. 

Oneota,  p.  322. 

These  spirited  and  graphic  letters  are  unavoidably  excluded. 
The  evidence  they  bear  to  the  purity  of  principle,  justness  of 
taste,  and  excellence  of  character  of  a  young  man,  now  no  more, 
ought  to  preserve  his  name  from  oblivion.  He  accompanied  me 
in  1831,  as  a  volunteer,  in  a  leisure  moment,  an  admirer  of  na- 
ture, seekino;  health. 


INDEX. 


A  bear  trapped,  98 

A  box  of  minerals  stolen,  40 

A  granitical  formation  on  Lake  Superior, 

8S 
A  long  fast,  12G 
A  new  philological  principle  in  languages, 

455 
A  phenomenon,  103 
A  precinct  of  Indian  orgies,  115 
A  sub-expedition  to  Sandy  Lake,  112 
A  war-party  surprised,  552 
Account  ofsub-exjjloratious  of  Green  Bay, 

210 
Acipenscr  oxyrinchus,  95 
Acipenser  spatularia,  1G3 
Advance  of  Lake  Superior  to  the  Rocky 

Mountains,  109 
African  and  Indian  marriages,  108 
Agaric  mineral,  60 
Agate,  87 
Agglutinative   properties   of  the  Indian 

pronoun,  502 
Aggregate  fall  of  the  Mississippi  below 
Sandy  Lake,   150;    commencement   of 
the  calcareous  rocks,  150 
Algoma,  107 

Algonquin  language  justly  applauded,  122 
Algonac,  50 
Allenoga  River,  250 
Allen's  Lake,  263 
Aluminous  minerals,  354 
American  Indian  policy,  546 
American  antiquities,  106 
Amygdaloid,  90 
An  Indian  breakfast,  253 
An  Indian  grave  with  hieroglyphics,  88 
An  Indian  nonplused  in  tbc  woods,  97 
An  Indian  salute,  120 
Analysis   of    Lake   Superior    copper   at 

Utrecht,  304 
Anodonta  corpulenta,  516 
Announcement  of  return  of  expedition, 

of  1820,  279 
Antique  markings  on  the  plnus  resinosa, 
652 


Antique  notices  of  the  lake  mineralogy, 

295 
Antiquities,  157;  first  notice  of  in  17GG, 

165 
Apparent  tide  in  the  Baltic,  191 
Appearance  of  dune  sand  at  Point  aux 

Barques,  54 
Appendix  No.  2,  449 
Apricots  in  bloom  on  the  22d  of  April,  41 
Arched  rock,  61 

Argillaceous  stratum  of  Detroit,  307 
Argillite,  111 

Artesian  borings  for  water,  51 
Art  of  the  wounded  duck,  249 
Arts  and  manufactures  of  the  Chippcwas 

and  Ottowas,  70 
Ascent  of  the  Assowa  River,  235 
Asphaltum  and  naphtha,  196 
Assassination  of  Owen  Keveny,  69 
Assowa  Lake,  239 
Atmospheric  heat  28th  June,  96 
Aux  Sables  Indians,  55 

B 

Bark  letter  in  pictographic  characters, 
433 

Barometrical  height  of  Cass  Lake,  139 

Barytic  minerals,  357 

Basin  of  Lake  Michigan,  335 

Basin  of  Lake  Superior,  318 

Bat  in  wood,  396 

Beltrami,  227 

Birch  Lake,  263 

Birds  inhabiting  the  region  of  Pakagama 
Falls,  130 

Birds  of  Lake  Superior,  104 

Birds  of  the  Wisconsin  Valley,  181 

Bituminous  minerals,  358 

Bivalve  shells,  415 

Black  River,  103 

Boatswain  to  Com.  Perry  in  1813,  194 

Botany,  408 

Boulders  on  the  shores  of  Lake  St.  Clair, 
49 

Boundary  between  Michigan  and  Wiscon- 
sin, 103 


590 


INDEX. 


/ 


Breadth  of  the  Mississippi  at  Sandy  Lake, 

124 
Brigham's  residence  at  Blue  Mound,  568 
Brule  summit,  273 
Buckshot  jiravel,  62 
Buffalo  hunt,  146 


Cabotian  Mountains,  110 

Calcareous  minerals,  350 

Canadian  canoe-song,  189  * 

Canoe-race,  48 

Capt.  Douglass,  210 

Capt.  Jouett,  209 

Capture  and  massacre  of  the  garrison  of 
old  Mackinac,  63 

Carnage  River,  248 

Carnelian,  87 

Carver's  Cave,  159 

Carver's  travels,  21 

Cass,  his  official  report,  280 

Cass  Lake,  130 

Cass  Lalce  basin,  328 

Cass  on  Indian  hieroglyphics,  430 

Cassville,  Wisconsin,  169 

Chagoimegon,  105 

Chalcedony  and  calcareous  spar,  54 

Charles  Stokes,  Esq.,  his  geological  me- 
moir, 315 

Charlevoix's  visit  to  America,  20 

Character  and  value  of  Dubuque's  lead 
mines,  172 

Character  of  the  bison,  147 

Character  of  the  Canadian  voyageur,  124 

Cheboigan,  its  etymology,  213 

Chenos,  a  masked  coast,  73 

Chicago,  etymology  of  name,  population, 
and  greatness,  198 

Chief  Guelle  Plat,  255 

Chippewa  character  of  the  Kekeewin,  154 

Chippewa  dance,  87 

Chippewa  term  of  salutation,  84 

Chippewa  village,  94 

Cinnamon-colored  radiated  quartz,  163 

Claioiants  to  mine  lands,  365 

Clinton  River,  49 

Club  fungus  partially  fossilized,  204 

Coal  in  Western  New  York,  391 

Coast  of  boulders,  215 

Col.  Croghan's  attack  at  Fort  Holmes  in 
1814,  64 

Col.  Pierce,  58 

Coluber  iestivus,  50 

Combustibles,  536 

Commercial  A'alue  of  copper,  372 

Conchology,  178 

Connection  with  Blackhawk's  plans  dis- 
claimed, 272 

Cooper's  description  of  shells,  515 

Copper-bearing  trap-dykes,  89 

Copper  boulder,  its  size,  97 


Copper-head  snake,  238 

Copper  ores  of  Mineral  Point,  567 

Cormorant,  130 

Corn  ripens  at  St.  Peter's  Valley,  153 

Cornu-ammonis;   a  fossiliferous  coast,  56 

Corregonus  albus,  260 

Cost  of  lake  transportation,  37G 

Council  at  Cass  Lake,  251 

Council  at  Sandy  Lake,  226 

Council  at  St.  Peter's  agency,  269 

Council  at  the  ultimate  point  of  the  first 

expedition,  133 
Council  with  Indians;  their  hostility,  78; 

they  raise  the  British  flag,  79 
Crow-wing  River,  145 
Crystals  of  iron  pyrites,  196 
Cupreous  formation,  324 
Cup-shaped  concavities,  61 

D  ^ 

Dacota,  or  Nadow^asie  Indians,  158 

Danger  escaped,  566 

Date  and  circumstance  of  Pike's  visit  to 

Sandy  Lake,  117 
Date  of  Prairie  du  Chien,  167 
Date  of  the  battle  of  Badaxe,  269 
Date  of  Yvisconsin  as  a  territorial  name, 

176 
De  AVitt   Clinton  offers   the   use  of   his 

library,  23 
Dead  scaffolded,  122 
Defect  of  postal  facilities,  at  Mackinac, 

05 
Depth  of  the  Detroit  clay  beds,  51 
Deriig.-itive  inflections  of  the  Indian  noun, 

476 
Descent  of  Itasca  River,  246 
Description  of  the  Indian  canoe,  47 
Desiderata  of  discovery,  227 
Detroit  completely  burnt  down  in  1805, 

44 
Detroit  first  founded  in  1701,  45 
Difficulty  of  studying  the  Indian  tongues, 

441 
Difficulty  of  the  descent  of  the  Brule, 

273 
Diluvial  elevations,  385 
Diminutive  forms  of  the  Odjibwa  noun, 

474 
Discover  native  copper,  90 
Discovery  of  Itasca  Lake,  573 
Distance   from    Lake   Superior   to    Lake 

Pepin,  544 
Distance  from  St.  Peter's  to  tliegulf,  153  ; 

elevation  of  the  country,  153 
Distances  travelled  in  the  expedition  of 

1831,  544 
Dr.  McDonnell's  letter,  439 
Dr.   Mitchell's  summary  of   discoveries, 

416 
Drift-stratum,  115,  322 


INDEX. 


591 


Dubuque  City,  170 

Du  Ponceau's  prize  essay,  453 


Earliest  date  of  Winnebago  bistory,  194 

Earthy  compounds,  f)o4 

Elementary  structure  of  the  Algonquin 

laiiijuace,  442 
Elk  Island.  2U1 
Elk  lliver,  its  latitude,  147 
Elevation  of  Lake  Superior,  107 
Elevation  of  the  clift' of  La  Grange,  102 
Elevation  of  the  country  at  the  Savanna 

Portage,  120 
Encampment  at  St.  Mary's,  76 
Ephemeral  insects,  167 
Epoch  of  tlie  deposit  of  St.  Mary's  sand- 
stone, 539 
Epochs  of  geological  action  proved  by 

fossils,  400 
Era  of  Pontiac's  hostile  movements,  62 
Era  of  the  discovery  of  the  St.  Lawrence, 

121 
Erismatolite,  103 
Erratic  block  stratum,  53 
Erratic  block  and  drift  stratum,  Gl 
Essay  on  the  Odjibwa  substantive,  453 
Establishment  of  a  military  post  at  St. 

Peter's,  152 
Etymology,  1 1 6 

Etymology  of  Manitowakie,  195 
Etymology  of  Minnesota,  156 
Etymology  of  Namikong,  85 
Etymology  of  Pawating,  81 
Etymology  of  Rum  River,  150 
Etymology  of  the  word  Konamik,  186 
Etymology  of  the  word  Michilimackinac, 

70 
^-''Etymology  of  the  word  Mississippi,  140 
Etymology  of  the  word  AVisconsin,  179 
Etymology  of  Waganukizzie,  207 
Evidences  of  ancient  Indian  cultivation, 

59 
Evidences  of  diluvial  action,  318 
Explorations  recommended,  285 
Extensive  and  fertile  bow-shaped  area, 

135 


Fallacious  appearance  of  a  tide  in  Green 
Ray,  191 

Fallacious  information  of  tlie  Indians,  re- 
specting the  lead  mines,  180 

Falls  and  precipices,  110 

Falls  of  St.  Croix,  270 

Falls  of  the  Montreal  River,  103 

Federation  group  of  islands  of  Lake  Su- 
perior, 105,  321 

Feud  between  the  Sioux  and  Chippewas, 
545 

Final  embarkation  at  Grosse  Point,  49 


Final  separation  of  the  party  at  Fort 
Dearborn,  197 

First  lake  vessel  built  by  La  Salle,  212 

First  steamboat  visits  Michilimackinac  in 
1819,  212 

Flat  Rock  Point,  organic  remains,  55 

Flock  of  pigeons  drowned  in  storms,  195 

Flora  of  Lake  Michigan,  20G 

Fhuir  spar,  353 

Fond  du  Lac,  184 

Fondness  of  the  Indians  for  melons,  170 

Forest-trees,  143 

Forest-trees  buried  by  oceanic  drift,  51 

Fort  Holmes,  when  dismantled,  64 

Fort  Howard,  190 

Fort  Niagara  built,  62 

Fossil  fauna  of  the  West,  199 

Fossil  wood,  386 

Foundation  of  old  Mackinac,  62 

Fox  chief  Aquoqua,  171 

Fox  River  Valley,  184 

Fox  Village,  169 

Freshwater  conchology,  188 

Freshwater  shells  of  the  Fox  and  Wis- 
consin. 416 

Friendship  of  Wawetum,  67 

Friendly  act  of  the  daughter  of  AVabo- 
jeeg,  80 

Frog.s  inclosed  in  stone,  386       i     . 

Fringillia  vespertiua,  or  Schoolcraft's 
grosbec,  515 

Further  discussion  of  the  Odjibwa  sub- 
stantive, 470 

G 

Galena,  174 

Generalizations  on  the  Mississiprii  P^iver, 

139 
Geographical  data  of  the  portage  from 

Lake  Superior  to  the  St.   Croix  and 

Chippewa  Rivers,  540 
Geological  deductions,  300 
Geological  memoranda,  119 
Geological  monuments,  332 
Geology  of  Mackinac,  66 
Geological  outlines  of  the  Lake  Superior 

coast,  109 
Geological  phenomena,  245 
Geology,  261 
Glacial  action,  216 
Globe   of    sandstone   from   a   geological 

pocket-hole,  316 
Grammatical    structure  of  sentences   in 

the  Odjibwa,  495 
Granite  Point,  88 
Granular  gypsum  in  sandstone,  86 
Graphic  granite,  84 
Gratiot's  Grove,  564 
Grauwackke,  111 
Grauwackke  of  Iron  River,  321 
Grave  of  Dubuque,  174 


592 


INDEX. 


Gray  wolf,  149,  166 

Great  copper  boulder  ou  Lake  Superior, 

294 
Great  sand  dunes,  85 
Green  Bay  City,  191 
Group  of  the  Manatouline  Islands,  74 
Grosbec — new  species,  515 
Gypsum,  G5,  813 

H 
Habits  of  the  anas  canadensis,  234 
Helix,  515 
Hennepin,  151 
Henry  Inman,  23 
Herds  of  buffalo  east  of  the  Mississippi, 

432 
High  value  of  the  Lake  Superior  copper 

mines  urged  on  Congress,  368 
Highest  platform  mound  on  the  Missis- 
sippi, 157 
Highlands  of  Sauble,  310 
Historical    data    respecting    Dubuque's 

mines,  174 
Historical  data  respecting  the  smallpox, 

-578 
Historical  facts,  150 
History  of  Green  Bay,  1 90 
History  of  the  Chippewas,  121 
History  of  the  Fox  Indians,  175 
Hochungara,  or  Winnebagoes,  181 
Holcus  fragrans,  157 
Houghton's  analysis  of  the  lake  copper, 

52^7 
Houghton's  plants,  519 
How  possessives  are  formed  in  the  Chip- 

pcM'a,  461 
Human  skull  in  the  solid  part  of  a  living 

tree,  396 
Huron  coast  line,  309 
Huttonian  theory,  405 
Hystrix,  73 


Ice  formed  on  the  19th  of  Julv,  127 
Illigan  Lake,  264 
Image  stone,  231 

Importance  of  vaccination  to  Indians,  581 
Impression  of  a  trilobite  in  quartz,  66 
Indian  altar,  55 
Indian  birch-bark  letter,  433 
Indian  boundaiy,  149 
Indian  chief  Red  Thunder,  158 
Indian  chief  lied  AVing,  163 
Indian  corn-dance,  160 
Indian  council,  99 

Indian  council  at  the  mouth  of  the  Crow- 
wing,  267 
Indian  dvrarf,  178 
Indian  language,  453 
Indian  myth  of  Itasca,  stanzas  on,  243 
Indian  oratory,  256 


Indian  queen,  254 

Indian  summer,  428 

Indian  superstition  respecting  mines,  374 

Indian  symbol  for  a  man,  1 1  o 

Indian  term  for  geologist,  90 

Indian  trait,  151 

Indian  translation  of  an  expression,  144 

Indian  tribes  visited  in  1831,  540 

Indian  women  engage  in  mining,  173 

Indian  Avomen  gathering  rice,  130 

Indians  turn  mineralogists,  DO 

Inquiries  respecting   the  history  of  the 

Indians,  438 
Inter-European  amalgamation,  77 
Intrepid  act  of  Gen.  Cass,  80 
Iron  sand,  106 
Irving's  Lake,  230 

Island  of  ancient  Indian  sepulchre,  194 
Itasca  Lake,  246 


James  Riley,  78 

Jargon  of  the  northwest,  234 

John  Johnston,  Esq.,  80 

Journey  from  Albany  to  Geneva,  41 

Journey  in  a  sleigh  across  the  Highlands, 
40 

K 

Kabamappa  accuses  the  Sioux  of  treach- 
ery, 548 

Kaginogumaug,  or  Longwater  Lake,  261 

Kakabika  Falls,  247 

Kakala,  its  probable  meaning,  187 

Kalamazoo,  203 

Kubba-Kunna,  234 


La  Hontan's  apocryphal  discovery  on 
Long  River,  19 

Lac  Pl^,  263 

Lac  Traverse,  229 

Lac  Vieux  Desert,  263 

Lacustrine  clay-flats  of  Lake  St.  Clair,  49 

Lake  action,  318 

Lake  Audrusia,  228 

Lake  Chetac,  543 

Lake  Douglass,  265 

Lake  drift,  323 

Lake  Pepin,  163,  332 

Lake  St.  Clair,  216 

Landscape  of  Michilimackinac,  71 

Last  year  the  bison  is  seen  east  of  the 
Mississippi,  148 

Latitude  of  Mackinac,  64 

Lead  mines  at  Dubuque,  168,  333 

Leading  events  in  the  life  of  Gen.  Ma- 
comb, 72 

Leaf  River  of  the  Crow-wing,  266 

Learn  the  state  of  the  Sauc  war,  269 

Leech  Lake,  259 

Leech  Lake  River,  129;  etymology,  129 


INDEX. 


593 


Left  Ilaml  llivcr,  108 
Legal  thiiiu  to  the  mine  tract,  174 
Length  of  the  Mississippi,  245 
Letter  to  Nathaniel  H.  Carter,  Esq.,  409 
Level  of  Lake  Erie  above  tide-water,  43 
Limits  of  the  cervus  sylvestris,  515 
Line  of  tliscovery  above  Cass  Lake,  244 
List  of  latitudes  and  longitudes,  289 
List  of  quadrupeds  and  birds  observed, 

413 
Little  Crow  chief,  157 
Little  Vermilion  Lake,  2G2 
Localities  of  minerals  and  rock  strata, 

211 
Locality  of  freshwater  shells,  167 
Long  Prairie  lliver,  26(3 
Longitudinal  phenomena,  109 
Lt.  Col.  Fowle,  notice  of,  108 
Lupus  Americanus,  56 
Lj-ceum  of  Natural  History,  New  York, 

extract  from  its  annals,  532 

M 

M.  Woolsey,  588 

Mackinac  limestone,  312 

Magnesian  minerals,  356 

Magnitude  of  Lake  Michigan,  202 

Marquette's  discovery  of  the  Mississippi, 
17 

Mass  of  native  copper,  on  the  shores  of 
Winnebago  Lake,  185 

Massachusetts  Island,  105 

Mean  temperature  at  the  sources  of  the 
L'pper  Mississippi  Piiver,  123 ;  party 
for  the  ultimate  discovery  of  this  river, 
123 

Mean  temperature  of  St.  Peter's  Valley, 
154 

Mean  velocity  of  ciu'rent  of  Mississippi 
Pviver,  126 

Metallic  masses,  100 

Metallic  minerals,  340 

Meteorological  journal  kept  at  Chicago, 
424 

Meteorology,  418 

Metoswa  rapids,  229 

Metunna  Kapids,  260 

Micaceous  oxide  of  iron.  111 

Michigan — its  population  at  various  pe- 
riods, 46 

Michilimackinac,  57,  311 

Michilimackinac  first  becomes  a  capital 
for  the  fur  trade,  68;  J.  J.  Astor  occu- 
pies it  in  1816,  68 

Miera,  or  Walk-in-the-water,  212 

Jlihvaukie,  its  etymology,  population,  and 
resources,  198 

Mine  of  Peosta,  171 

Mineral  character  of  Lake  Superior,  100 

Mineralogy  and  geology,  292 

Mineralogy  of  the  Northwest,  534 

38 


Miners'  mode  of  classifying  ore,  564 
Mississippi  first  crossed  by  primary  rocks, 

147 
Mississippi  from  the  influx  of  the  Mis- 
souri, 138 
Mistake  respecting  American  antiquities, 

157 
Mode  of  converting  a  noun  to  a  verb  in 

the  Odjibwa,  481 
Mollusks,  127 

Montruille  an  object  of  pity,  131 
Mozojeed,  a  chief  of  energy,  550 
Mr.  Monroe's  message  of  7tli  December, 

1822,  363 
Mr.  Schoolcraft's  Report  on  the  Copper 

Mines  of  Lake  Superior,  292 
Mukkundwa  Indians,  ethnological  sketch, 

258 
IMurder  of  Gov.  Semple,  255 
Muskego  River,  104 

My  first  portage;  what  is  "a  piece,"  90 
Mythologic  notion,  99 

N 
Naiwa  rapids,  236 
Native  salt  and  native  copper,  155 
Native  silver,  and  its  ores,  531 
Natural  history,  515 
Nebeesh  Island  and  Rapids,  75 
Neenaba,  a  partisan  chief,  554 
New  localities  of  copper,  375 
New  seat  for  Hygeia  and  the  Muses,  60 
New  species  in  conchology,  417 
Nicollet's  table  of  geographical  positions, 

582 
Noble  reply  of  an  Algonquin  chief,  68 
Noble  view,  83 

Number  in  the  Chippewa,  457 
Number,  value,  &c.  of  the  coi^per  mines 

of  Lake  Superior,  863 

0 

Objects  of  governmental  policy,  55^ 

Oblations  to  the  dead,  123 

Observe  the  buffalo,  146 

Odjibwa  animate  and  inanimate  adject- 
ives, 490 

Odjibwa  compound  words,  483 

Odjibwa  numerals,  501 

Odjibwamong,  82 

Offering  food  to  the  dead,  123 

Official  report  of  Gen.  Cass,  280 

Okunzhewug,  a  chieftainess,  murdered, 
550 

Old  English  Copper-mining  Company,  296 

Old  Mackinac,  its  date,  208 

Onzig  River,  84 

Ores  and  metals,  536 

Organic  impressions,  313 

Organization  of  the  expedition  of  1832, 


594 


INDEX, 


Origin  of  the  Indian  race,  439 
Ornithology,  130 
Ortho-cerite  limestone,  74 
Ottowa  Lake,  542 


Pakagania  Falls,  127 

Palajontological  rocks,  330 

Palaozoic  sandstone,  539 

Peace  Rock,  149 

Pelican,  177 

Perch  or  Assawa  Lake,  362 

Period  of  the  first  military  occupation  of 

old  Mackinac,  04 
Petrified  leaf,  with  a  sketch,  206 
Pewabik  River,  102 
Physical   Character   of    the    CroTf-wing 

River,  267 
Physical  characters  of  the  Mississippi,  188 
Pictographic  device,  148 
Pictographic  Indian  inscription,  113 
Pictographic    mode    of    communicating 

ideas,  430 
Pictured  rocks,  86 
Pike's  Bay,  251 
Pipe-stone,  or  opwagunite,  155 
Planorbis,  515 
Planorbis  companulatus,  246 
Plants  collected  by  Dr.  Houghton,  519 
Plastic  clay  of  St.  Clair  flats,  308 
Plateau  of  lakes  and  marshes,  128 
Polydon,  416 
Polj'ganum,  124 
Population  and  statistics  of  Mackinac  in 

1820,  64 
Population  of  Detroit  in  1820,  45 
Population  of  Leech  Lake,  260 
Population  of  Ottowas,  203 
Porcupine  Mountains,  91,  323 
Porphyry  and  conglomerate  boulders,  317 
Portage   to    the    sources   of    Crow-wing 

River,  200 
Positive  and  negative  forms  of  speech,  in 

the  Odjibwa,  497 
Potatoes  vegetate  in  pure  pebbles,  62 
Pouched  rat,  156 

Practicability  of  working   the  Superior 
mines  of  copper  and  iron,  370 ;  advan- 
tages of  transportation,  371 
Preliminary  incidents  at  Washington,  39 
Preliminary  Report  of  Exploring  Expedi- 
tion of  1832,  573 
Primary  forks  of  the  Mississippi,  232 ; 

country  disposed  in  plateaux,  233 
Principles  of  the  Odjibwa  noun-adjective, 

489 
Produce    of    the   copper   mines   of    the 

world,  379 
Pseudomorphous  forms,  314 
Pseudostoma  pinetorum,  156 
Pusabika  River,  102 


Q 

Quartz  geodes,  834 
Quartzite  rock,  127 
Queen  Anne's  Lake,  230 
Question  of  prepositions,  471 

R 

Racine.  197 

Rapid  glances  at  the  geology  of  Western 

New  York,  881 
Rapids  of  the  Mississippi  above  Sandy 

Lake,  125 
Rattlesnake  of  the  Wisconsin  Hills,  181 
Reach    Detroit,    after   a   passage  of  62 

hours,  44 
Reach  Itasca  Lake,  its  outline,  241 
Reach  Lake  Superior,  274 
Rebus  nutkanus,  129 
Reciprocal  death  in  a  combat,  201 
Red  Banks,  194 
Red  jasper  in  quantity,  58 
Red  oxide  of  iron,  155 
Red  sandstone,  91 

Red  sandstone  of  Lake  Superior,  316 
Register  of  temperature  in  the  United 

States,  426 
Reorganization  of  the  first  expedition  at 

Chicago,  200 
Report  of  Dr.  Houghton  on  the  copper 

of  Lake  Superior,  526 
Report  of  Mr.  Schoolcraft  to  the  Senate 
on  the  mineral  lands  of  Lake  Supe- 
rior, 362 
Residents  of  Chicago  in  1820,  197 
Return  of  expedition  of  1820  to  Detroit, 

217;  summary  notice  of,  217 
Return  to  Sandy  Lake,  142 
Returus  of  the  Cornwall  and  Devon  cop- 
per mines,  878 
Rifle  shooting,  83 
Rise  of  waters  in  the  lakes,  214 
River  St.  Croix,  162 
Robert  de  la  Salle,  17 
Rosa  parviflora,  144 
Ruins  of  Fort  St.  Joseph,  built  in  1795, 

75 
Rule  of  euphony  in  the  Algonquin  lan- 
guage, 444 ;  active  and  passive  voices, 
446 ;   philosophical  mode  of  denoting 
number,  445 


Sacred  island  of  the  Indians,  70 

Saganaw  Bay,  54,  310 

Saliferous  red  clay,  389 

Sandstone  in  a  vertical  position,  102 

Sandstone  rock  found   in  place  on   the 

east  coast  of  Lake  Huron,  52 
Sandy  Lake,  327 
Sarracenia  purpurea,  or  owl's  moccasin, 

214 


IXDEX. 


595 


Silurian,  249 

Savanna  of  Gatchi  Betobeeg,  141 

Savanna  sumniit,  118 

Saw-mills  in  tlie  Indian'territory,  565 

Scenery  of  Lake  Superior,  587 

Schoolcraft's  examination  of  the  Indian 

vowels,  443 
Schoolcraft  s  geological  report,  304 
Schoolcraft's  Island,  243 
Schoolcraft's  official  report  in  1831,  640 
Septaria,  208 
Serpentine  rock,  322 
Sexual  nouns,  479 
Sheboigan,  its  etymology,  195 
Shingabawossin  reopens  negotiations,  81 
Sienitic  and  hornblende  rock,  148 
Silicious  minerals,  345 
Silurian  limestone,  167 
Silver,  a  boulder  specimen,  532 
Silver  medal  presented,  99 
Sioux  masses  of  colored  clays,  155 
Site  of  a  massacre  in  1812,  200 
Site  of  an  ancient  dune,  308 
Skeleton  paradim  of  the   Indian  verb, 

507 
Sketch  of  Sandy  Lake,  116 
Sketch  of  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi 

from  St.  Anthony,  137 
Sketch  of  the  river  at  the  Copper  Rock, 

97 
Sketches  addressed  to  Gen.   George  P. 

Morris,  560 
Skull  Cave,  on  the  island  of  Mackinac, 

66;  Alexander  Henry's  adventures  in 

1763,  66. 
Smallpox  appears  among  the  Chippewas 

in  1750,  578 
Society  on  the  island ;  its  peculiar  phases, 

69 
Soil  and  climate  of  Minnesota,  153 
Soldiers  poor  canoemen,  269 
Source  of  Assowa  River,  240 ;    portage 

over  the  height  of  land,  240 
South  coast  line  of  Lake  Superior,  320 
Species  of  freshwater  shells,  181 
St.   Anthony's   Falls,    its    Indian   name, 

151 
St.  Mary's  Canal,  82 
St.  Paul's,  Minnesota,  159 
State   of  geological  knowledge  in  1819, 

381 
Stationary  distances  on  Lake  Superior, 

92 
Statistics  of  maple  sugar  made  by  the 

Indians,  71 
Statistics  of  the  fur  trade,  68 
Staurotide  ;  native  silver,  53 
Steamboat  Walk-in-the- Water,  43 
Straits  of  St.  Mary,  315 
Stratification,  81 
Stratum  of  quartzite  rock,  141 


Sub-explnring  party,  94 

Sul)-f()rniativc  pronouns  in  the  Algonf(nin 

IntiiruMge.  509;  relative  pronouns,  500; 

demonstrative  pronouns,  513 
Sumniit  Lake,  263 

Sun  above  the  horizon  at  12  P.  M.,  106 
Superstition  of  the  Indians,  571 
Synopsis  of  Appendix  No.  1,  277 


Table  of  latitudes  and  longitudes  in  the 

Northwest,  682 
Tabular  view  of  minerals  of  the  North- 
west, 338 
Temperature  required  by  tropical  plants, 

426 
Tenacity  of  life  of  the  deer,  235 
Tensal  inflections  in  the  Algonquin,  478 
Testimonial  to  Capt.  Douglass  and  Mr. 

Schoolcraft,  287 
The  glutton,  141 

The  Mississippi  viewed  in  sections,  137 
The   trap-rock   the  true  copper-bearing 

medium,  530 
Thirteen-striped  squirrel,  156 
Time  required  in  passing  Lake  Superior, 

107 
Topography  and  astronomy,  288 
Tortoise,  113 
Tortuous  channel,  129 
Totem,  123 
Tour  from  Galena  to  Fort  Winnebago, 

560 
Track  of  Indian  migration,  122 
Tramp  through  a  swamp,  112 
Treaty  of  June  16,  1820,  81 
Trunk  of  a  tree  fossilized,  396 
Turtle  River,  131 

U 
Ultimate  point  reached  by  the  first  ex- 
pedition, 132 
Unio,  167,  517 

Unio  food  for  the  wild  duck,  234 
Unio  Schoolcraftensi.s,  181 
Upper  Red  Cedar  Lake,  130 
Uva  ursi,  88 


Vaccination  of  Indians,  574 

Valley  of  Taquimenon,  537 

Valley  of  the  St.  Croix,  332 

Valley  of  the  St.  Louis,  325 

Vast  caldron  in  grauwackke,  103 

Verbs  in  the  Algonquin,  how  changed  to 

substantives,  482 
Vermilion  canoe,  254 
Vesicular  crumbling  limestone,  60 
Vestiges  of  a  wreck  on  Lake  Michigan, 

202 
View  of  Lake  Huron,  51 


596 


INDEX. 


Viev/s  of  skeptics  oa  the  Mosaical  chro- 
nology, 407 

Virginia  Island,  105 

Visit  Niagara,  its  etymology,  41,  42 

Visit  to  Gen.  Dodge  at  his  residence,  567 

Visit  to  the  locality  of  the  great  mass  of 
copper  on  Lake  Superior,  290 

Vitric  boulders,  324 

Volcanic  upheavals,  305 

Voyageui's  hired  not  to  drink  spirits,  and 
to  keep  the  Sabbath,  268 

W 

War-party  of  Neeuaba  broken  up,  553 

Water-worn  agates  on  the  lacustrine  sum- 
mit. 112 

Waughpekennota,  193 

White  crystalline  sand  rock,  331 

White  Rock,  52 

White  springs  of  Ontario,  385 

Width  of  Sandv  Lake  River  at  its  outlet, 
22G 


Width  of  the  Jlississippi  at  the  outlet  of 
Cass  Lake,  227 

Winnebago  idea  of  geology,  185 

Wiuonao  laita,  164 

Wisconsin,  183,  333 

AVisconsin  lead  mines ;  aspect  of  the  coun- 
try, 561 

Wolverine,  141 


Year  1820  opens  with  severe  weather,  40 
Yellow  River  war-party,  549 


Zeolite,  87 

Zinc  found  in  the  Wisconsin  mines,  565 

Zoned  agate,  237 

Zoological  objects  inclosed  in  rock,  or  the 

solid  parts  of  trees,  &c.,  392 
Zoology,  408 


THE     END 


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